


Is There a Twelve Step Just For You?

by TheNameIsBritney



Category: Glee
Genre: Blaine Anderson Big Bang 2020, Blaine is a nervous nerdy boy, Cheerio Kurt Hummel, Fluff, It's One Of Those Fics, Kurt is the popular cheerio, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nerd Blaine Anderson, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:21:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 49,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22913158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNameIsBritney/pseuds/TheNameIsBritney
Summary: “He was still the same short, nerdy Blaine Anderson he’d always been. An easy target for school bullies everywhere. Kurt was the popular co-captain of the Cheerio’s, looking down on his kingdom like a fair but firm ruler. No one was on his level, certainly not a peasant like Blaine.”Or Blaine tries to tell Kurt that he has a crush on him but accidentally ends up asking for a makeover instead. Oh, dear.(Written for the Blaine Big Bang 2020!)
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Comments: 114
Kudos: 221
Collections: Blaine Big Bang 2020





	1. Stupid For You by Waterparks

**Author's Note:**

> TW Slurs and bullying
> 
> The song for today's chapter is  Stupid For You by Waterparks ! Make sure to give the song a listen because I really love it xx

“Blaine, you have customers!”

Blaine sighed and slipped his phone back into his pocket, brushing off his apron and adjusting his ridiculous visor. He’d gotten a job at Angus’ Ice Cream thinking it would be simple, eating free ice cream and serving the occasional customer, but instead it had been grueling. 

Hours stuck behind the surprisingly warm refrigerator made him overheat and sweat and scooping the ice cream had given him aches and cramps up and down his arms and hands. Nevertheless, Blaine was getting paid well _and_ Angus gave him two breaks a day. There were definitely worse places he could be spending the summer before his junior year. 

As he walked out of the back room to take his place at the counter, he heard a familiar voice that made his stomach drop to his feet. 

Or rather, eight familiar voices, all chattering over one another. 

“You totally cheated, man!”

“Don’t be such a wet blanket, Hudson.” Karofsky threw a smirk in Finn’s direction and gave him a shove. 

Blaine watched as they looked at the flavours of ice cream behind the counter, trying to control his racing heart. He tightened his grip on the ice cream scoop he held and tried to make himself invisible, even though he knew the inevitable was coming. 

Then, as if Karofsky knew Blaine had been thinking about him, he looked up and stared right at Blaine. A malicious grin grew over his face as he smacked Azimio’s back lightly, causing him to look up too.

“Well, look who it is!” Karofsky said, sauntering over to the cash register where Blaine stood. “Blaine Anderson, in the flesh.” 

Blaine swallowed thickly and pushed his glasses up his nose with a shaky hand. His eyes flickered from Karofsky to Azimio warily. 

“Wh-what c-can I-”

“Uh, wh-wh-what?” Azimio mocked the tremor in Blaine’s voice, a cruel laugh in his tone. “Didn’t know you were a loser _and_ a retard, Blanderson!”

Blaine pressed his lips together and looked down at the counter. He looked up briefly and saw that Karofsky and Azimio hadn’t come alone. 

He saw Quinn, Santana, and Brittany -- appropriately nicknamed the Unholy Trinity -- standing behind Finn, triplet expressions of bored indifference on their faces (although Brittany looked more confused than bored, Blaine noted). They all looked perfect, as always. Not one hair out of place and not one bead of sweat dripping down their faces despite the blazing summer sun outside.

“What’s the problem, Anderson? Can’t take a little light hearted teasing between friends?” Karofsky lowered his voice a tad and leaned in. Blaine could almost smell the sweat gathering at Karofsky’s temples, sour and heady. 

“Hey, Karofsky, back off, man.” Finn stepped forward, keeping his eyes trained on Karofsky and Azimio. “Let’s just get our ice cream and go.”

“We’re just having a little fun with him, Hudson. Blainey-boy doesn’t mind, right?” Azimio turned to look at Finn whose jaw clenched. 

“Guys, lay off of him.” 

Blaine’s breath hitched when he heard a familiar melodic cadence speaking up in his defence. He looked just behind Finn and Quinn and saw _him._

Kurt Hummel. The object of Blaine’s pathetic affections for nearly four years. The same person who probably didn’t know that Blaine existed. His heart skipped a beat at Kurt practically coming to his rescue. 

“C’mon, Hummel-” Karofsky growled, keeping his eyes locked on Blaine. 

“Don’t.” Kurt said sharply, taking off his sunglasses and resting them atop his perfectly coiffed hair. “Let’s just go. I don’t even want ice cream anymore.” 

Karofsky looked at Kurt with a frown before turning back to Blaine, regarding him with a look of disdain. 

“You got lucky this time, queer.” He spat before turning around promptly and stomping out of the store, Azimio, Finn, Quinn, Santana, and Brittany in tow. 

Blaine let out a shaky breath and wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand. Despite the freezing cold he felt in his hands and fingers, he was sweating from their encounter. It was all he could do to stop himself from crumpling onto the floor in an exhausted heap. 

He looked up and saw Kurt still standing where he’d been a moment ago, a small, sympathetic smile on his face. 

“I-” Blaine licked his dry lips quickly. His heart was beating a mile a minute under the weight of Kurt’s gaze. “Thank you… for that.”

Kurt smiled and walked toward the counter, pulling out his wallet and pulling out a $10 bill. Blaine thought he might faint from just looking at Kurt’s gentle smile.

“No problem.” Kurt replied softly, sliding the money towards Blaine. “Now, can I get a cone of chocolate and a cup of cookies and cream, please? Finn’s been talking about getting ice cream all day. I have to satiate the beast.”

A short, squeaky giggle escaped Blaines lips for a moment and he pressed them shut, nodding jerkily as he looked at Kurt before moving to the bar to get Kurt’s ice cream for him. With the ease of an employee who’d been working at the shop for almost a month and a half, Blaine scooped up the ice cream, trying to ignore the way he could practically feel Kurt’s eyes on him, scrutinizing and calculating. 

When he was finished, he took a deep breath and walked back to where Kurt was standing, handing him the cup and cone. As Kurt took it from him, their fingers brushed momentarily and Blaine inhaled sharply, pulling his hand back and looking at the $10 note on the table between them. He glanced in the back room to see if his boss was watching before he slid it back towards Kurt quickly. 

“This one is um… it’s on the house.” Blaine said quickly, pushing his glasses back up his nose and blinking down at the counter. 

Kurt raised his eyebrows in surprise and smiled, taking the note and sliding it into the tip jar. He reached over and straightened Blaine’s nametag for him. 

“Well, thank _you_ very much... Blaine.” Kurt said, biting his lip. He slid his sunglasses back down over his eyes and picked the cup off the table, Finn’s cone in his other hand. “Have a nice day.”

Blaine watched as Kurt walked out of the store, the ‘welcome’ bell ringing through the store as Kurt sauntered out. He couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face. 

He whistled along to _Teenage Dream_ playing over the store’s speakers as he scooped himself a small cup of cookies and cream, savouring the first bite and wondering if Kurt’s lips tasted as sweet and smooth as the ice cream flavour he’d picked. 

* * *

The first day of school always brought mixed feelings for Blaine. 

On the one hand, he was excited to see his friends again. They were exhausting at times and completely ridiculous but thinking about sitting in that choir room filled Blaine with a warm feeling in his chest that he’d missed over the past two and a half months. 

On the other hand though, He’d have to see Karofsky and Azimio on a near daily basis -- something he definitely hadn’t missed.

Blaine pulled his car into the parking lot on Monday morning, peering into his rearview mirror. He sighed in relief and briefly rested his forehead against his steering wheel when he saw Karofsky’s car wasn’t in it’s usual spot. 

He got out of his car and straightened his bowtie as he looked around. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Kurt, looking perfect as ever in his Cheerio’s uniform, standing with Quinn, Santana, and Brittany at Kurt’s car. Blaine smiled when he remembered what had happened a few weeks ago at the ice cream shop. He hadn’t been able to get the image of Kurt’s bright smile out of his head for weeks after that, going through life like a pleased ghost, floating from place to place. 

Blaine thought about walking over to where Kurt stood. He thought about thanking him again for what he’d done and then asking him out for coffee. The very idea of it made his fingertips tingle with anticipation. 

But then he remembered who Kurt was and who he was. He was still the same short, nerdy Blaine Anderson he’d always been. An easy target for school bullies everywhere. Kurt was the popular co-captain of the Cheerios, looking down on his kingdom like a fair but firm ruler. No one was on his level, certainly not a peasant like Blaine. 

So he took a small step backwards and looked away from Kurt before anyone could catch him staring, walking to the school entrance with a hand firmly gripping his bag strap. 

As he walked, he was startled out of his reverie by a heavy arm wrapping itself around his shoulders and the familiar smell of deodorant and toothpaste. 

“Blainey!” Sam practically yelled into his ear, a bright grin on his face. “Man, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

Blaine rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face. 

“You came over last week, remember?” Blaine replied, raising an eyebrow as he shrugged his friend’s arm off of his shoulders. “You fell into the pool with your clothes on. You had to borrow a pair of my pants.”

Sam paused and wrinkled his nose. 

“Oh, right. Your pants are mad small, B, they cut off circulation to my-”

“Oh, my God, stop talking.” Blaine laughed, shoving Sam aside as they walked through the heavy doors of McKinley High together. “They aren’t that small, you’re just mean.” 

“They’re pretty small.” Sam followed Blaine to his locker and leant against the wall beside it. “But still, that was ages ago. You’ve been working practically all summer, you couldn’t even come to the drive-in with me and Tina and you know that’s our tradition!” 

“Sorry, Sam, but I’m trying to save up.” Blaine shrugged apologetically as he opened his locker. “I’ll make it up to you guys.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, you should come over after...”

Sam’s voice faded in the background of Blaine’s mind as he looked just over Sam’s shoulder at the entrance to the hall where Kurt stood with Quinn on his arm and Santana and Brittany just a step behind them. It was almost as though a hush fell over the hallway as they walked by, stunning everyone into silence with their perfection. 

Blaine was like a man possessed whenever Kurt was involved, his eyes destined to follow every little movement until he was out of sight or someone pulled him out of his trance. He couldn’t help it.

“Are you finished?” 

Blaine blinked and forced his eyes away from Kurt and looked back at Sam, who was looking back at him, eyebrow raised.

“F-finished doing what?”

“Staring at Kurt like a stalker.” Sam replied, his eyes flickering towards Kurt and his posse as they retreated down the hallway. “It’s getting a little weird.”

“I... Yeah, I’m done.” Blaine knew there was no point in defending himself, “He’s just perfect.”

“Then maybe you should, I don’t know, talk to him?” 

Blaine looked at Sam and scoffed, shaking his head.

“Yeah, as if. It’s fine, Sam, I’m perfectly fine going completely unnoticed by Kurt if it means staying under the radar.” Blaine closed his locker suddenly, following behind Sam as he pushed off the wall and began walking. “But something did happen this summer... ”

Sam stopped and turned around, causing Blaine to crash into him unexpectedly.

“Something happened? What do you mean something happened?” Sam asked, eyebrows furrowed. 

Blaine smiled and blushed lightly and regaled Sam with the story of what had happened at the ice cream shop. Sam listened with rapt attention, a grin growing on his face.

“Dude, this is great! He totally likes you!” Sam said, pushing Blaine lightly. Blaine rolled his eyes and huffed quietly, starting to walk past Sam who followed behind dutifully. “Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration but... he knows who you are! That’s definitely something!” 

Blaine shook his head but smiled at his friend’s enthusiasm.

“I... It’s nothing, okay? It was just... nice. He did something nice for me.” Blaine said, ignoring Sam’s disappointed look. “It doesn’t mean that he likes me or that he wants to ride off into the sunset with me and have vaguely Eurasian-looking babies.” 

Sam patted him on the shoulder sympathetically and shook his head. 

“I still think you have a shot.” 

Blaine sighed and shook his head.

“Let’s just go to class, okay? I don’t wanna talk about this anymore.” 

Sam looked like he wanted to say something else but he thankfully refrained, instead changing the subject to some new TV series he’d discovered over the summer and subsequently became obsessed with.

As Sam spoke, Blaine allowed his mind to drift, replaying Kurt’s smile from the ice cream shop over and over.

* * *

When Blaine got to the cafeteria at lunch, he saw Tina and Sam already in line. He grinned and grabbed a tray, sneaking up behind Tina and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Ah!” Tina turned around and grinned when she saw Blaine, abandoning her tray to give him a tight hug which Blaine gladly reciprocated. “Oh, my God, do not sneak up on me like that! You know I keep pepper spray in my backpack at all times.” 

Blaine laughed and snuck into the line between Sam and Tina, knocking his and Tina’s shoulders together.

“Where were you this morning? Sam and I couldn’t find you.” Blaine smiled politely at Millie the lunch lady. 

Tina smiled and bit her lip, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. 

“Actually... Mike gave me a ride this morning.” Tina said, looking down at the tater tots on her tray before turning to Blaine and Sam with a bright grin. “It turns out that we both signed up to be counsellors at Asian Camp this summer and we... sort of hooked up!”

“Oh, Tina, that’s awesome!” Sam said, looking back at their lunch table where all the other Glee kids were sat, giving Mike a wave and a thumbs up which he happily returned. 

“Yeah, Mike is... he’s amazing. He’s so sweet and talented and... have you _seen_ his abs?” 

Blaine laughed and pulled out his wallet to pay for his lunch, looking at Tina who had a dreamy look on her face. He felt a twinge of jealousy hit him at the bottom of his stomach but he pushed it way down. 

“Uh... yeah, we have gym together. You are one very lucky woman, Tina.”

Tina paused, eyeing Blaine up and down suspiciously as they sat down at their table. Blaine popped a tater tot into his mouth and furrowed his eyebrows at her curiously. 

“What?”

“Blaine Anderson, you got ripped!” Tina announced loudly, reaching over and squeezing at Blaine’s arm. “Since when did scooping ice cream for toddler’s classify as a work out?”

Blaine flushed bright red, hurriedly shushing Tina before he called more attention to their table.

“Tina, lower your voice.” Blaine hissed, shaking her hands off of him. “People are starting to stare.” 

“I’m just saying, Blainey, maybe now with those biceps, that not-so-subtle crush of yours will _finally-_ ”

“Tina!” Blaine exclaimed, covering her mouth with his hand. “Shut. Up.” 

Tina rolled her eyes and pulled Blaine’s hand off of her mouth, poking at her salad. 

Blaine chanced a look over at Kurt’s table and immediately looked back down when his eyes met a pair of blue ones. He stared at his food instead. Suddenly he didn’t feel so hungry.

“I just think that you should ask him out, I mean what’s the worst that could happen?” Tina asked, popping a grape into her mouth.

“Look, Tay, I _really_ don’t wanna talk about this, okay?” Blaine said softly, “It’s never going to happen.”

Tina and Sam shared a disappointed look but Tina reluctantly dropped the subject, allowing Blaine to turn to Mike and start talking to him about Asian Camp.

“You know we definitely have to do something about this, right?” Tina whispered to Sam, his eyes still on a now distracted Blaine. 

Sam hummed and bit into a tater tot, smiling slyly at her. 

“I know. I have a plan.”

* * *

The end of the day couldn’t have come soon enough for Blaine. 

It hadn’t been _bad,_ per se. He’d survived chemistry with Azimio who’d stuck a piece of chewed up gum to the back of his neck, the wet, sticky glob getting stuck in the fine baby hairs that his gel had missed. He’d made it through Tina and Sam interrogating him about _he-who-shall-not-be-named_ all through study hall. He’d even managed to make it through the day without falling victim to a single slushy.

He’d somehow forgotten just how gruelling school was, an ever present ache in his shoulders from carrying his satchel all day. His feet were cramping in his loafers and a familiar pounding sensation had made itself at home right behind his eyes. Blaine couldn’t wait to get home.

“Blainey, wait up!” 

Blaine slowed down automatically at hearing Sam’s voice and he turned, smiling tiredly when he saw his best friend walking towards him with Tina in tow.

“What’s up, guys?”

“Look, I told Tina about what you told me this morning.” 

Blaine furrowed his eyebrows.

“... About how my mom nearly took my car keys instead of her own?” Blaine asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “What does that have to do with-”

“No, dummy, about what happened with Kurt!” Tina said loudly. Blaine’s eyes widened at her volume and he looked around the hallway, only noticing a few students milling around. Kurt was nowhere to be seen, thank _God_ . “He totally likes you, it’s so obvious! I mean he defended your honour _and_ he was practically giving you bedroom eyes when he slipped the $10 into your tip jar.”

Blaine glared at Sam who conveniently seemed to be looking at something awfully interesting up on the ceiling.

“Okay, first of all, I _never_ said that he gave me... _bedroom eyes_.” Blaine said, lowering his voice to a whisper as he turned on his heel and started to walk away from them. He heard the shuffling of their feet as they followed behind him dutifully. “He... he stuck up for me in front of his idiot friends and then he tipped me because he felt bad for me, that’s it!”

“But-” Sam started.

“And second of all,” Blaine cut him off, whirling around once they’d reached the carpark to face his friends. “My love life - or lack thereof - is none of your guys’ business! Have you ever considered the fact that I am perfectly happy being single?”

Sam frowned.

“You’re not, though.” He said slowly, walking behind Blaine and making his friend turn his back to the entrance of the school so he could face him. “You’re lonely, man. I can tell.” 

“ _We_ can tell.” Tina added, walking next to Sam. “It’s okay to admit it, Bee, we would never judge you for it.” 

Blaine looked down at his shoes. He could feel heat running up his neck and gathering in his cheeks. 

“I just don’t want to hold out hope for something that is so incredibly inconceivable.” Blaine said quietly, “he doesn’t like me. He’s never _going_ to like me. At this point, I’ve made my peace with it. I’m perfectly fine just admiring him from afar.”

“Why admire from afar when you could admire him... up close?” Sam asked, his eyes looking from Blaine to something just behind him. 

Blaine raised his eyebrows. “Why on earth would I do that?” 

“Because you kind of don’t have a choice.”

“Wha-”

Before Blaine could retaliate, Sam took two hands and pushed him backward gently, not hard enough to make him fall but just hard enough to cause him to stumble a few steps back and subsequently collide into something firm. Some _one_ firm.

Blaine turned around quickly to apologise to whomever he’d bumped into but his mouth immediately dried up, his jaw falling into an ‘O’. All apologies had instantly left his mind when he made eye contact with the one person who’d been running through Blaine’s mind all day.

Kurt Hummel.


	2. My Type by Saint Motel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning! The song for today's chapter is My Type by Saint Motel! The link didn't work last time so I'll just copy and paste the link here:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyVPyKrx0Xo
> 
> Happy reading!

Kurt liked to think that he wasn’t a typical popular kid. He had empathy, unlike so many of his… acquaintances on the football team and on the Cheerios. But just because he was kind, didn’t mean he was stupid. 

He knew that popularity was like a currency at McKinley high. Being on the Cheerios meant he was living it up at the penthouse with all of his friends, practically untouchable. If he did even one thing to jeopardize that, he’d be bankrupt sooner than you could say “Louis Vuitton Knock-Off”. He couldn’t afford to revert back to the Kurt who endured daily locker slams and dumpster dives. The very thought made him shiver. 

That was why he couldn’t stop Karofsky and Azimio from harassing kids who were just like Kurt used to be. He could protest weakly, tell them to move on, but he couldn’t  _ actually  _ do anything to stop the bullying. Not if he wanted to keep his own head above water. 

But still, the guilt that Kurt could feel building up in his stomach whenever he saw Azimio slushying some poor freshman, or Santana tearing down a student for looking at her the wrong way, only worsened with each day.

He contemplated this while walking to his car at the end of the day, rattling his keys in his fingers and staring off into the distance at Mike standing with some Glee kids. They all laughed as they watched him do some sort of robotic-style dance move. Kurt felt envy, hot and cloying, biting at his heels as he watched them. When was the last time he had been that carefree?

His thoughts were interrupted by a solid weight bumping into his chest. He stopped walking and held his hands out to catch whomever had bumped into him, his hands meeting with a pair of firm biceps. 

Stood in front of Kurt was a boy who looked about the same age as he was. He was slightly shorter than Kurt and his hair was gelled within an inch of its life -- but Kurt thought that it suited him in a preppy, old Hollywood sort of way. What Kurt noticed next was the look of utter shock that fell over the boy’s features.

Was Kurt really  _ that _ intimidating?

“I-I am... I’m so sorry for bumping into you, Kurt, I-I... didn’t mean to. My friend Sam just pushed me -- not on purpose, of course -- and I guess I stumbled a bit...”

Kurt raised an eyebrow and smiled, dropping his hands to his sides and simply watching as the boy in front of him rambled nervously. There was something familiar about him that Kurt couldn’t place, though he supposed he didn’t make it a habit of getting to know students outside of his own circle.

“It’s okay.” Kurt replied with a small smile, cutting the student off successfully. The sound of his voice was enough to stun him into silence. “Did you need something?”

* * *

Blaine looked into Kurt’s eyes, hoping to see even the slightest bit of recognition there.  _ Something _ that told Blaine that Kurt remembered that day in the ice cream shop, that they’d connected and he hadn’t made everything up in his head. 

Kurt blinked back at him, his head adorably cocked to the side. 

“Is something wrong?” Kurt asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Nothing.

As far as Kurt knew, Blaine was a total stranger. Just another weirdo who fell over his feet and didn’t know how to control his mouth. He bit his lip and tried to swallow his disappointment. He knew this was how things would turn out. Of course Kurt didn’t remember him. 

“N-No, I just... I bumped into you on accident... sorry.” Blaine turned around to glance at Sam who was staring at him and throwing him a thumbs up. 

Kurt watched with his eyebrows raised and a small, amused smile on his lips. 

“I feel so rude.” Kurt said quietly. At the sound of Kurt’s voice, Blaine turned back around to face him, eyes wide and a light blush on his cheeks. “You know my name but... I don’t know yours.” 

Blaine’s heart constricted. He didn’t know if he was disappointed that Kurt didn’t remember his name or elated that Kurt had bothered to ask.

“Blaine. Um... Blaine Anderson.” Blaine supplied softly, “we’ve been classmates since 8th grade.”

Kurt blushed and bit his lip. 

“Sorry... I guess I’m kind of useless at names.” Kurt said, scratching the back of his neck with an uncomfortable smile. “But I definitely know who you are now, Blaine Anderson.”

Blaine blushed at that. A warm, pleased feeling took over his body, travelling all the way from his chest down to his fingertips. Was he... flirting?

Was this really happening right now? Were Sam and Tina right about Kurt flirting with him that day in the ice cream shop? And now? Questions whirred through Blaine’s mind again and again, and yet he couldn’t seem to come up with answers for any of them.

“Um... I-I actually had something that I wanted to... ask you.” The words left Blaine’s mouth before they could think them through, still caught up in his own panic and awe.

It didn’t help that Kurt looked so damn  _ earnest _ . 

“I was wondering if you’d-”

“Hummel, hurry up! My nails aren’t gonna manicure themselves!” Santana yelled from across the parking lot, her eyes fixed in a narrow glare at where Kurt and Blaine were standing. Kurt rolled his eyes in response.

“Just a minute!” Kurt called back, looking disgruntled and oh-so-cute. 

Hearing Santana’s voice calling out to Kurt was like a revelation for Blaine. What was he  _ doing _ ? Kurt was the most popular guy at school, how could Blaine ever even entertain the idea that Kurt could possibly want anything to do with him? God, he was pathetic. He might as well forget about this whole thin-

“Blaine?”

Oh, right, he was still standing in front of Kurt.

“Huh?” Blaine asked, eyes wide as he looked at Kurt. Kurt stared back, a strange look on his face. 

“You were asking me something?” Kurt reminded him gently. 

Blaine swallowed thickly. He could feel sweat gathering on the back of his neck. Oh, God, what was he going to do?

“Yeah! About that...” Blaine looked behind him briefly at Sam who was talking to Tina and flexing, probably doing his Arnold Schwarzenegger impression again. 

Suddenly, Blaine had an idea. 

“I want you to give me a makeover.” 

Kurt’s raised his eyebrows in surprise, an excited sparkle lighting up his eyes. Blaine hadn’t thought Kurt could’ve gotten  _ more  _ beautiful but here he was, proving him wrong.

“A makeover, huh?” Kurt asked, his eyes scanning Blaine’s form slowly. Blaine blushed under the scrutiny. “Pray tell, Blaine Anderson, what do you need a makeover for?”

“Um… well, you see… there’s this  _ guy _ .” That’s right, Blaine, keep it vague. As little details as possible. “I… I like him. And I just think that maybe if I got a makeover then he’d… notice me. In that way.”

Kurt’s face softened slightly and Blaine nearly melted on the spot.

“Who’s the guy?” 

“What?”

“Who’s the guy that you’re after?” Kurt asked, a silly little smile on his face. “If I’m going to make you over, I need to at least know who the target demographic is.”

_ It’s you. The target demographic is you.  _

“My best friend. Sam.” Blaine blurted out suddenly, cringing almost immediately once the name left his mouth. “Sam Evans. You know him, right? He’s in glee? And he’s on the football team.” 

Kurt raised his eyebrows before sighing and smiling sympathetically.

“Crush on the best friend, huh? That’s rough.” Kurt said quietly, reaching out to gently pat Blaine on the arm. “It’s the lips isn’t it?”

Blaine forced a small smile and nodded jerkily, trying to ignore the warmth travelling from Kurt’s hand to his bicep.

“Uh… yeah… totally.” Blaine replied quickly, “anyway, obviously if you  _ did _ help me out with this, I would repay you somehow. Whatever it is, you name it.”

Kurt raised his eyebrows, giving Blaine another quick once over. His eyes fell onto the AP Biology textbook poking out of his - admittedly quite stylish - messenger bag.

Kurt bit his lip, his mind wandering to the D in biology he’d gotten last year. His dad threatened to make him quit the Cheerios if his grades didn’t go up - so far Kurt had just ignored the threat, hoping the issue would just go away on it’s own. But while he had the opportunity... 

“Tutoring.” Kurt said finally, reaching into the pocket of his track pants and pulling out his phone. “I’m seriously flunking biology and my dad is really pissed at me. And you’re...”

“A nerd?” Blaine offered with a small, self deprecating smile. Kurt blushed. 

“No! I-I was going to say you’re smart.” Kurt said quickly, gesturing to Blaine’s textbook. “I mean... obviously.”

Blaine blushed and rubbed the back of his head bashfully. 

“I study a lot, that’s all.”

“That’s more than I can say for myself. Coach Sylvester has us working our asses off daily.” Kurt rolled his eyes but the smile on his face showed more fondness than it did exasperation. “So... do we have a deal? Bio tutoring for a makeover?”

Blaine grinned, his cheeks flushed. “Yeah! Yeah… that sounds… yeah.” 

“Here, put your number on my phone.” Kurt said, offering his phone to Blaine.

As Blaine reached for Kurt’s phone, their fingers brushed. He looked up to see if Kurt had noticed, not sure if he was disappointed or relieved when Kurt’s expression remained unchanged.

His fingers shook as he put his number into Kurt’s phone. He hesitated when it came down to putting his name in before just typing in ‘Blaine (Tutor)’. Simple and to the point.

And hey, maybe… that would change one day?

Kurt took his phone back and typed a quick message, sending it to Blaine with a flourish before putting his phone back in his pocket. 

“There! Now you have my number too,” Kurt said with a little smirk. He looked behind Blaine to where Santana was staring at him, a dark look on her face, before patting him on the arm gently. “I’ll see you around, okay? Text me.

Before Blaine could respond, Kurt brushed past him gently, leaving behind the faint smell of vanilla as he went.

* * *

As Kurt walked towards Santana, Quinn, and Brittany waiting at his car, he urged himself to stop thinking about the look in Blaine’s wide, dark eyes. How  _ enchanted _ he’d looked. 

Kurt had gotten used to the stares and the admiration a few months after he’d joined the cheerios -- he even craved it sometimes -- but the look in Blaine’s eyes wasn’t just blind respect and glamourization. There was something hidden behind those irises that Kurt wished he could decipher. Something like a longing, a yearning... 

“You done imagining sucking Blanderson’s dick yet? Can we go get our nails done now?” Santana said crassly, her pinkie finger intertwined with Brittany’s.

“How do  _ you _ know how Blaine is?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. “I didn’t even know until he told me.”

Santana rolled her eyes.

“He tutored Britt last year,” She replied flatly, “he didn’t even let her copy off of him. He kept going on about ‘academic integrity.’ Total teachers pet.”

“Why were you talking to Blaine?” Brittany asked, “Was it ‘cause you were trying to find the raspberries he hides in his hair?”

“I...” Kurt looked between Quinn, Santana, and Brittany and immediately felt about 2 feet tall under their scrutinizing gazes. “Blai-Anderson just asked me for a favour.” 

Santana barked out a laugh.

“And what might Twinkle Toes want that you could provide? Did he ask you for kissing lessons?” She asked, her voice dripping with disdain and sarcasm. “Oh! Or maybe he asked for tips on how to style the gayest pants in all of the Midwest!” 

Kurt winced.

“It wasn’t anything like that, he just… he offered to tutor me in exchange for a little help with something that’s all.” Kurt mumbled, his cheeks flushed as he looked away from the three girls. 

Quinn, Santana, and Brittany shared a look before turning back to Kurt with frightening synchronicity.

“We don’t care what Blaine wants, Kurt,” Quinn said, the soft quality in her voice contrasting with the hard edge to her words. “But don’t come crying to us when people see you hanging out with  _ him _ and suddenly you’re on the bottom floor with the Glee losers, ‘kay? Now let’s go. I’m in serious need of some cuticle care.”

Kurt sighed and unlocked the doors to his car, simply watching as the girls piled into his Navigator. He turned around briefly and spotted Blaine standing with a group of other Glee Clubbers. 

There was a moment where Kurt allowed himself to envy their easy interactions and their friendship.  _ Their _ friendships probably didn’t come with rules and regulations that had to be followed to a tee. 

Blaine looked up and locked eyes with Kurt briefly, lifting his hand in a shy wave. Kurt felt his cheeks warm. He nodded back, not even wanting to think of what it would look like to the girls if he waved back at one of the most unpopular kids at their school.

As he turned back around, he locked eyes with Quinn who was looking at him with a calculating look on her face. He got into the car quickly and distracted himself by picking a playlist for him to play as he drove them to the mall. 

Kurt Hummel was  _ not _ interested in Blaine Anderson. 

He wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick reminder for everyone to please check out the cover art made by Datshitrandom for this fic on her Tumblr! It's so awesome <3 
> 
> Another big thanks to my beta Nery (little-escapist) and Maya (alligatestheclotpole) for all the support!! And an extra thank you to Aly (blurglesmurfklaine) for being so encouraging throughout the entire writing process :') 
> 
> Also thank u so much for your kind comments on the first chapter!!! <3 Y'all are too good to me!
> 
> \- Brit xx


	3. Battle Scars by Chase Your Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Today's song is Battle Scars by Chase Your Words, so be sure to give that song a listen because it's one of my current favourites!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQjhHhYa4OE
> 
> As always thank you Nery, Maya, and Aly for the love and support!! And Ela for your amazing artwork!

“Wait, you told him _what_?”

Blaine sighed and covered his face with his hands, mumbling behind his palms. 

“I told him that I wanted him to give me a makeover and that I had a crush on Sam.” Blaine crossed his arms on the table in front of him and flung his head down to rest on his forearms. “Because I’m an _idiot._ ” 

“But you don’t _actually_ dig me, right?” Sam asked before taking a sip from his iced coffee.

Blaine looked up from his shame nest and shot Sam an incredulous glare. 

“No, Sam, I don’t ‘dig’ you. You’re not even my type, no offense.” Blaine murmured, taking a long drag of coffee from his cup. “I-I don’t even know why I said it! I was just looking at him and he looked so beautiful and then I looked behind him and you were standing there doing your stupid Arnold Schwarzenegger-” 

“Actually it was Elton John...”

“-Impression and it all just… came out.” Blaine looked up at Sam apologetically and sighed. “I’m sorry I had to drag you into this, man, I really, _really_ didn’t mean to.” 

Sam reached over and gave Blaine a gentle pat on the shoulder, causing his friend to smile half-heartedly at him.

“Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing, Blainey-Days.” Tina said. “I mean you said he agreed to give you a makeover in exchange for tutoring, right?”

Blaine nodded slowly.

“So, maybe this is the perfect opportunity you needed! You get to spend time with him, teaching him, while _also_ showing him how charming and attractive you can be. Then, he’ll fall in love with you and you guys will have a fall wedding in Central Park and I’ll be your maid of honour,” Tina said wistfully, resting his chin in the palm of her hand.

“Why wouldn’t Blaine pick me to be his maid of honour?” Sam asked through a mouthful of muffin. Blaine wrinkled his nose at the crumbs that flew out and he handed Sam a napkin as he shook his head. 

“Guys, Kurt and I have barely spoken to each other, it’s a bit early to be planning our wedding,” Blaine said, though a small smile was inching its way onto his face. Just as he looked down at the phone in his hand, he felt it vibrate with a new message. 

It was from Kurt. 

**_From Kurt Hummel, 4:11pm:  
_ ** _Hey, Blaine, do you want to meet up on Thursday after school?_

It took every instinct Blaine had not to just reply with a flurry of excited, meaningless letters and exclamation points. 

“Oh, my God, he just texted me,” Blaine said, caught between looking at Tina, Sam and the message on his screen. 

“Give me that!” Tina exclaimed, grabbing the phone from Blaine’s hand so that she and Sam could read the text themselves.

“Well, I guess that solves your problem, right?” Sam asked, his words muffled around his straw. 

Blaine huffed out a quiet laugh and shook his head, taking his phone back and staring at the message. 

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 4:13pm:  
_ ** _Sure, Thursday works for me! Do you want to meet at the school library?_

Kurt’s response was instantaneous.

 **_From Kurt Hummel, 4:13pm:  
_ ** _No._

 **_From Kurt Hummel, 4:13pm:  
_ ** _Maybe we should just go to your place? That way I can see what kind of clothes I’ll be working with for your makeover._

“What did he say?”

Blaine waved Tina off with a small smile, trying to ignore the giddiness that rose up in his chest. Kurt Hummel was going to be in his _house_. They were gonna be alone together. 

The implications of that made a slight blush rise high on the apples of Blaine’s cheeks.

 **_From Blaine (Tutor), 4:14pm:  
_ ** _Makes sense! My address is 48 North Hartford St._

 **_From Blaine (Tutor), 4:14pm:  
_ ** _Did you wanna drive there together or do you want to just meet me there?_

 **_From Kurt Hummel, 4:14pm:  
_ ** _I’ll meet you there._

 **_From Kurt Hummel, 4:14pm:  
_ ** _I’ll see you on Thursday, Blaine._

 **_From Kurt Hummel, 4:14pm:  
_ ** _:)_

Blaine smiled to himself and stared at the little smiley face for a bit too long. It meant nothing. Of course it meant nothing. But Blaine could still look at it and imagine Kurt’s smiling face staring right back at him, and for now that was enough.

* * *

Thursday came much sooner than Blaine expected. 

He got home after school and toed his shoes off, smiling politely at his housekeeper who was folding the laundry on the living room couch, the TV on in front of her playing some soap opera that Blaine vaguely recognised.

“Hi Lynn,” Blaine said politely, giving her a small wave and a smile. 

Lynn looked up and smiled back.

“Home so soon, Blaine?” she asked, “You usually meet up with your glee friends after school, don’t you?”

Blaine flushed and smiled sheepishly.

“Yeah, but I uh… I-I’m expecting company tonight.”

“Oh, are Sam and Tina coming?” Lynn asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask Tina where she bought that necklace she was wearing a few weeks ago, do you remember that?”

“Oh! Um… it isn’t Sam or Tina.” Blaine looked down at his phone in an attempt to avoid Lynn’s curious gaze. “It’s actually someone else.” 

Lynn smiled knowingly, putting down the shirt she was folding and turning toward Blaine to face him. “Someone… special?” 

Blaine looked up, eyes wide. 

“No! Just someone regular! Normal! I-I… I’m tutoring him, that’s it!” Blaine exclaimed, quickly trying to move past Lynn to get to the stairs, ignoring her giggles behind him.

“Mmm, is this ‘someone regular’ going to be staying for dinner, Blaine?” 

Before Lynn could get an answer back, Blaine had already stormed up the stairs. She laughed quietly to herself and continued on with her folding. 

Teenage boys were so funny sometimes.

* * *

Half an hour later, the doorbell sounded. Blaine practically sprinted out of his room, pushing his glasses up his nose in his haste. 

“I got it! I got it, Lynn, sit back down!” Blaine cried anxiously, waving at Lynn to go back to the dining room where she was reading the newspaper, halfway between getting out of her chair and sitting back down. 

Lynn simply shook her head and giggled to herself, getting out of her chair and following behind Blaine softly. She _had_ to see this. 

Blaine walked toward the front door and took a breath, trying to calm his breathing down after sprinting down two flights of stairs. He straightened his collar and grimaced as he gently patted his hair. He’d been so busy getting his room ready for Kurt’s visit, he hadn’t managed to re-gel. He could feel the curls starting to release themselves with each second that passed. 

Nevertheless, he put a hand on the doorknob, trying to will his fingers to stop shaking. It was _just_ a study date. Session! Study session! Definitely _not_ a date. 

“Are you going to open the door, or are you going to leave that poor boy standing out in the sun?” Lynn asked from where she was leaning on the doorjamb, arms crossed and a knowing smile on her face.

Blaine turned around briefly and gave her a pleading look before turning back around and pushing on the doorknob gently, opening the door.

On the other side was Kurt, graceful and gorgeous as ever, _out of uniform_. He looked… stunning.

Although, there was nothing new there. Kurt could probably make those heinous basketball jerseys look fashionable. 

Blaine smiled politely, though it felt more like a nervous grimace.

“Hi! I-I’m sorry I kept you waiting, I was just… um…”

“He was upstairs. He didn’t hear the doorbell,” Lynn supplied helpfully, smirking lightly. 

Blaine had never been more thankful for Lynn’s presence than at that moment.

* * *

When he’d gotten the text from Blaine, he’d been a little more than surprised. It was pretty well known around town that kids who lived on Blaine’s street were the richer, more privileged kids. Kurt supposed he was about to find out more about Blaine than he’d ever expected. 

The drive wasn’t long, but to Kurt it felt like a lifetime. The closer he got to Blaine’s house, the more anxious he felt, looking in his rearview mirror for any signs of Quinn’s silver Honda or Santana’s SUV following him. The coast was clear, and had been clear for the past few blocks, but still, the prospect made Kurt sweat. 

He finally pulled up to 48 North Hartford and took a second to gape at the size of it. It wasn’t a mansion by any means but the pure _opulence_ of the [house](http://cdnparap130.paragonrels.com/ParagonImages/Property/p13/BCRES/262259361/0/0/0/cea2b86ac0247d437c1feb257b3cece4/16/9c9d17a764fccd50a17894d510b2e319/262259361.JPG) itself made Kurt feel like he wasn’t worthy. He swallowed thickly and parked his car, getting out of it slowly and walking up the long driveway to the steps of the front door. 

He tried to peer through the frosted glass of the large, extravagant double doors in front of him but couldn’t see anything other than a few miscellaneous colours and shapes. He couldn’t see or hear anyone inside. Kurt raised his hand to the doorbell and pressed it firmly, hearing the faint ‘ _ding dong’_ that followed. 

Maybe he had the wrong house. Maybe Blaine had given him a bum address. Was this all some elaborate joke?

He waited, ears attentively listening for any signs of life inside the house. He thought he could hear speaking on the other side but it was faint. He couldn’t make out anything that was actually being said. 

Suddenly, the door opened, startling Kurt backward a small step. There in front of him stood Blaine, in the same clothes that he’d been wearing at school (not that Kurt had taken special care to notice… not at all). The small, sheepish smile on Blaine’s face made Kurt forget about his previous anxieties. He smiled back, lifting his hand up and waving lightly. 

“Hi! I-I’m sorry I kept you waiting, I was just… um…”

“He was upstairs. He didn’t hear the doorbell.” 

A second voice sounded from behind Blaine, one that Kurt had managed to not see at all. He peered just behind Blaine and saw a woman, leaning against a wall. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a bun and her large brown eyes sparkled with mischief behind her tortoiseshell glasses. Blaine’s... mom, maybe?

Kurt liked her already.

“Oh! That’s okay, I wasn’t waiting very long,” Kurt said, smiling in what he hoped was a comforting fashion towards Blaine who seemed to relax just a tad. “Can I come in?”

Blaine opened the door wider suddenly, a blush rising to his cheeks at his impoliteness. 

“Yes, of course, sorry,” Blaine said, looking around his house like he hadn’t been living there for the past 17 years. “Um... welcome to my house.” Blaine wrinkled his nose as soon as he said it. _That was a dumb thing to say, Blaine_.

Kurt smiled nevertheless, looking around the [foyer](http://decorcharm.com/wp-content/uploads/Dark-Wood-Foyer-Decor.jpg). It very much matched the exterior of the house. Beautiful and impeccably decorated and managed.

“You have a very nice house, Blaine,” Kurt commented with a smile, turning towards Blaine and giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. He turned to the woman standing just behind Blaine and smiled at her almost guiltily. He’d almost forgotten she was there completely. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Kurt Hummel. You have a lovely house Mrs. Anderson."

Kurt extended a hand towards the woman in question and shook her hand, watching as she chuckled and shook her head.

“Oh, I’m not Blaine’s mother, sweetheart, I’m just the housekeeper,” Lynn said, squeezing Kurt’s hand gently. 

“Oh!” Kurt looked between Lynn and Blaine and laughed awkwardly. “I’m sorry for assuming.” 

“That’s okay, hun,” Lynn said sweetly, giving Kurt’s hand one more squeeze before letting go and turning to Blaine. “B, did you want me to make you and your friend some snacks?” 

Blaine groaned quietly at the nickname and shook his head. He didn’t see the way Kurt smiled discreetly to himself.

“I think we’ll be fine, Lynn, thanks,” Blaine replied, hiding his face behind his hand. 

Lynn rolled her eyes with an affectionate smile. 

“Okay, well, you know where to find me if you need me,” Lynn said before disappearing back into the dining room.

Blaine watched her go and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. 

“I-I... she’s... I’m sorry about her, she can be a bit much,” Blaine said with a bashful chuckle. 

Kurt just laughed quietly. 

“It’s okay. I liked her,” Kurt said, looking in the direction of the dining room briefly before looking at Blaine, a clear sense of purpose in his eyes. “So... your room?”

Blaine raised his eyebrows and felt his cheeks pink at the implications of Kurt’s question. He knew he obviously didn’t mean it that way but... a teenage boy can imagine. 

“Yes! Yeah, um... it’s just upstairs.” Blaine awkwardly gestured toward the stairs and started walking up, trying not to think about Kurt Hummel who was _in his house and walking to his room right now_. 

What on earth had he gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie to you Blaine and I both overuse exclamation points when texting people fml that's definitely a character trait and not me projecting my personality onto a character
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who's been commenting and giving kudos!! I really appreciate every single one <3 
> 
> Also: lemme know if you guys are actually listening to the songs I recommend before every chapter and if you're enjoying them!
> 
> \- Brit xx


	4. Growing Pains by COIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for today's chapter is Growing Pains by COIN! Let me know if you're enjoying the songs 'cause they're some of my favourites!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut5XJvEMoXU

There weren’t enough Buzzfeed articles in the  _ world _ that could prepare Blaine for what it would feel like for the object of his affections to actually be in his  _ house.  _ He felt a tight anxious feeling in his chest each time he thought about it.

_ S _ o he just tried not to think about it instead. If Blaine started thinking about  _ that _ , he might do something stupid like... tell Kurt just how many things he could list that were the exact same shade as his eyes.

“Aww, is this you?” Kurt asked, stopping in the middle of a staircase and pointing at a picture on the wall. The picture was of a six-year-old Blaine sitting on a large pumpkin, obviously mid-giggle, wearing the tiniest orange bowtie with matching orange shoes. Next to him was a tall man with a beaming smile and a dark head of hair, a shorter woman wearing heels much too high for a pumpkin patch and a grin that matched her sons, and a teenager who looked thoroughly unimpressed by such family antics. “You have a cute family.”

Blaine whipped around and glanced at the picture Kurt was talking about and laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Oh! Um... thanks! That’s me, my mom, my step-dad, and my brother Cooper.” Blaine said, smiling at the memory. “That was the first time my parents ever took me to a pumpkin patch. I’m obviously having the time of my life.”

Kurt giggled quietly and looked closer. 

“Aw, that’s sweet,” he said quietly, looking over at Blaine and looking down at the orange and brown plaid bowtie he had on. “I see not much has changed.” 

He leaned forward and straightened the bowtie just slightly, smiling when it was righted. Kurt felt a strange jolt of deja vu come over him in that moment, pulling his hand away from Blaine’s chest. 

“Um... anyway, your room?” Kurt asked, clasping his hands together in front of him. “I wanted to check out your closet and see what exactly we’re working with.”

“Right! It’s um... it’s just this way,” Blaine said sheepishly, turning around and walking up the rest of the stairs. 

The first thing Kurt noticed when he stepped into Blaine’s room was the multitude of trophies sat on the top shelf of one of his bookshelves. He walked towards them, reading the plaques on the bases of each trophy. Lacrosse, spelling bees, polo, singing competitions... 

“Wow, I don’t think the Cheerios have this many trophies,” Kurt joked lightly, turning to face Blaine whos face was bright red. “That’s pretty impressive, Blaine.”

“Uh... thanks, I guess.” Blaine said, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. “I-I don’t really... I don’t talk about those much. They were from a long time ago, so... ”

Kurt hummed and looked back at the trophies briefly before turning to Blaine and smiling. 

“You are one interesting guy, Blaine Anderson.” Kurt said softly. The warm lighting of Blaine’s room made his eyes look an even deeper colour of hazel, even behind the thick frames he was wearing. 

Kurt inhaled sharply and looked just behind Blaine to a door with slatted panels. He cleared his throat and stepped to the side, clapping his hands together in an attempt to mask the silence that fell over the room.

“Let’s get to work!” Kurt said brightly, walking towards the door and opening it. 

Kurt opened the doors flipped on the light, looking around the small walk-in closet, his eyes zeroing in on a display at the back. On it were bowties in more colours and patterns than he’d ever seen, all neatly folded and colour coordinated. He let out a quiet giggle and smiled to himself as he walked towards the bowties and examined one, rubbing the silky material between his fingers. 

“I-I actually got that one at the Brooks Brothers outlet in Columbus,” Blaine said quietly from behind Kurt, his eyes firmly fixed on the pale yellow bowtie with thin navy stripes. “It was 85% off.”

Kurt raised his eyebrows and looked at Blaine with a surprised smile.

“Fashion sense  _ and  _ you know where to find a good deal. I am very impressed,” Kurt said, pulling it off the rack and tying it expertly around his own neck. It must’ve looked ridiculous without a collar for it to sit on but Kurt kept it there anyway. “So, I see a lot of bowties, dress shirts, and sweaters. Not to mention your impressive collection of brightly coloured chinos. You are really into the colourful preppy look, huh?”

Blaine nodded quickly, eyes wide.

“Yeah, I um... I don’t know, it always just felt like me, you know?” Blaine replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “I-I always loved colour and ever since I was a kid, I loved how neat and clean bowties looked.”

“That’s really sweet, Blaine,” Kurt said as he rifled through the hangers, trying to find items that weren’t plaid, striped, or brightly coloured. “And I have to admit, I love the preppy vibe, but... your style is just... ”

“Just... ?” 

Kurt looked over at Blaine and nearly melted on the spot. He looked so earnest in that moment, standing there with those big hazel eyes framed behind black clubmaster-style glasses.  _ Wow _ , how had Kurt never noticed just how beautiful Blaine’s eyes were?

He cleared his throat and looked back down at the hanger he was holding, pulling out a cardigan with little lobsters all over it. 

“I think it’s more... ’stylish New York hipster’ than ‘Ohio high school student’.” Kurt said, carefully putting the cardigan back. “Do you have anything more... ” 

Kurt trailed off as he continued to look around, not really sure of what he was looking for. 

“Oh!” Kurt stopped his search in shock and pulled out a dark brown leather jacket. He gently stroked the leather and turned it around, examining it. It looked like it had never been touched, let alone worn. 

“That was actually a birthday present from my brother,” Blaine said, scanning Kurt’s face for any signs of judgement. Surprisingly, he found none, instead seeing a hint of a spark in Kurt’s eye. A somewhat manic smile had come across his face. Blaine thought it was ridiculous how Kurt made even  _ mania  _ look unfairly adorable. 

“This is... have you ever worn it before?” Kurt asked, tearing his gaze away from the jacket to look at Blaine.

“Well... I-I don’t think it really suits my style, exactly,” Blaine said, feeling terribly like he was disappointing Kurt in some way. “It’s a great jacket but I just... never felt confident enough to wear it I guess.”

Kurt bit his lip as he looked Blaine up and down once more, ideas and images flying through his head.

“I think we just found your new look.”

* * *

After carefully going through all of Blaine’s closet and writing a list of things he would need for his new ‘look’, they both decided to switch gears and start studying. 

They were both sat on Blaine’s bed, Blaine sitting stiff and upright by the headboard as Kurt made himself comfortable, lying on his stomach with his biology textbook out in front of him, a pout on his face. 

“Can you explain that to me one more time? The mitosis stuff?” Kurt asked, tapping his highlighter against his forehead. 

Blaine crossed his legs and leaned over, looking at Kurt’s textbook while still trying to keep his distance.

“Well, there’s prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. At prophase the DNA supercoils and the chromosomes sort of... pair up, like that. See?” Blaine pointed towards the diagram in Kurt’s textbook, sneaking a peek at Kurt who looked like his textbook had just ran over his cat. 

“Yeah, I  _ see _ it, I just don’t get it,” Kurt groaned and rolled over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “I’m never gonna get it.” 

Blaine blinked. Suffice to say, he hadn’t expected this. 

“I... Don’t say that... it’s a lot simpler than you think-”

“That’s easy for you to say!” Kurt snapped, sitting up and facing away from Blaine. “You probably get straight A’s. You’ll get to go to whatever college you want, you actually have a shot of getting out of here. I, on the other hand, will be stuck in Lima fixing flat tires at my dad’s shop or serving lukewarm coffee to homophobic soccer moms.”

Silence fell between them for a moment, neither boy knowing how to react to what Kurt had just said. 

“I don’t know why I just told you that,” Kurt said quietly, his voice taking on a slightly scratchy quality as he focused on a spot on Blaine’s wall. He sniffed softly and looked down at his hands, blinking quickly to try and dispel any tears that might’ve formed. “I just feel so  _ stupid _ .”

Blaine took a deep breath and shuffled toward Kurt. He wanted nothing more than to pull Kurt into a tight hug and never let him go. 

But Blaine thought that might be a bit much for their first meeting outside of school. 

“Um... you’re not,” Blaine said quietly, “stupid, that is.” 

Kurt scoffed and shook his head. Blaine furrowed his eyebrows and moved so that he was sitting next to him. 

“This might not mean a lot coming from me, but you are... remarkable, Kurt,” Blaine breathed. He could feel the tips of his fingers shaking slightly. “I... I get that we haven’t really known each other all that long but you are vastly underestimating yourself. You’re intelligent and kind and-and funny! You are amazing and the fact that you don’t see that is...  _ that’s _ stupid.” 

Blaine finished his little speech and clamped his lips shut, curling his hands into sweaty fists. Had he said too much? Had he just ruined everything? God, he never should have said anything in the first place. He’d probably freaked Kurt out and driven him away forever and then they’d never fall in love and get married and-

Oh. 

Blaine looked down at his fist and saw Kurt’s pale hand covering it. 

_ His fingers are a little shorter than mine, _ Blaine thought, still unable to completely process what was happening. 

“Thank you, Blaine,” Kurt said quietly, a small, sad smile on his lips as he looked at him. 

Blaine slowly released his hand from the fist he was making and turned it so Kurt’s palm was resting against his. A small smile grew on his own face as they looked at each other, Blaine’s heart beating a mile a minute. 

“Don’t thank me,” Blaine replied, giving Kurt’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I was just... being honest.”

They sat there for a moment, holding hands and ignoring the shift in the air, before Kurt pulled away to fix a stray strand of hair that had fallen out of its hairspray hold. Blaine missed the warmth immediately. 

Kurt cleared his throat and turned to Blaine, smiling brightly and trying to mask any vulnerability he’d just showed. 

“Why don’t we take a little study break?”

“Kurt, we just started!” Blaine protested weakly, though he knew he would end up losing this argument. 

“I know, but there are other pressing matters at hand,” Kurt said, shifting and sitting cross legged in front of Blaine. “For example, your crush.”

Blaine’s heart jumped to his throat.  _ Had he been that obvious? _

“My... my crush?”

“Yeah, silly! On Sam?” Kurt pressed, raising his eyebrows and grinning. “Tell me about him. Why do you like him?”

Oh, right. Kurt thought he liked Sam. Blaine let out a quiet, relieved huff. He was still in the clear. 

“Well, um... I-he’s one of my best friends at school, which is remarkable considering how... popular he is,” Blaine said quietly, eyebrows furrowed. “And he’s, you know, really... cute.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and smiled, leaning backwards so he was lying on Blaine’s bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“That was the most boring description  _ ever _ . What did you think when you first saw him? Were there fireworks?” 

Blaine looked at Kurt, lying on his bed, looking as if they’d been friends for years instead of merely acquaintances. Because that’s what they were, right? Acquaintances? He breathed in slowly and thought back to the first time he’d seen Kurt.

* * *

_ Four years ago _

Blaine was barely listening to Sam and Tina as they chattered away about  _ very _ important Middle School things like how Candy Miller’s real name  _ wasn’t actually Candy  _ and about the math test they were about to take. 

They were walking to the gym for a pep rally that Blaine knew he already wanted to skip in favour of studying for his math test but Sam had insisted he go. Something about watching the Washington Middle School cheerleaders dance in their short skirts. Blaine had just smiled tightly and nodded, not yet ready to say the words that were forming in his head. 

They took their seats on the back row of the bleachers, the sound of hundreds of other voices echoing around the wooden floors and concrete. The sound was giving Blaine a headache.  _ Great _ . 

The voices were hushed by the sound of Principal McIntyre’s voice booming over the speakers, much too loud and upbeat for 9am on a Thursday. 

Blaine drifted in and out of concentration as the principal went through his speech, his mind running through different equations and formulas he would need to remember for later, until he announced the cheerleading team, ironically dubbed  _ The Washington Fairies. _

Blaine felt Sam smack him on the arm as 13 girls all walked onto the stage, clad in matching pleated skirts and scrunched socks. 

“Dude, I don’t care what her name is, Candy Miller looks  _ so hot _ in that uniform,” Sam remarked, his eyes firmly fixed on a short girl with brown hair and a beaming smile. “Don’t you think?”

Blaine hummed weakly, his eyes scanning the crowd of girls in their bright uniforms as they began to get into formation. 

Just then, his eyes locked onto someone else. Not Candy Miller or Lucy Fabray or  _ any  _ of the other girls for that matter. The person who had caught Blaine’s attention was the only boy in the crowd, taller than the rest of the girls, holding his own pair of gold and red pom-poms.

“I didn’t know boys could be cheerleaders,” Blaine said quietly, blinking as he looked at the boy who’d begun stretching while laughing at something Lucy said. 

“Oh, yeah. That’s Kurt, he’s in my French class. I didn’t really know that boys could be cheerleaders either,” Sam said, finally looking away from Candy and turning to Blaine. “It’s kinda... gay.”

Blaine swallowed thickly and didn’t say anything after that, listening to Tina berate Sam for objectifying the cheerleaders, his heart pounding loud and hard in his chest. 

_ It’s kinda... gay. _ He breathed in shakily, barely registering when the music started playing over and the cheerleaders began to dance. It was a cute routine, although a bit too much pom-pom action for Blaine’s own tastes. But then again, what did he know about cheerleading, really?

Other than the fact that he liked watching Kurt do the splits while jumping.

Then it had happened. 

A loud, booming voice shouted from the audience. 

“Get off the stage, Fairy!” 

That had just been the beginning. 

Blaine’s breath caught as he heard more and more taunts being yelled from the other side of the gym. His eyes shifted from looking at the boys causing the scene to Kurt. 

He expected to see the boy looking flustered or afraid, maybe even crying. Hell, that’s what Blaine would’ve done. But to his surprise, the boy looked... unaffected. Blaine watched as Kurt crossed his arms, face stony as he waited for several teachers to discipline the boys - who were all members of the Washington Middle soccer team, to absolutely no one’s surprise.

In that moment, surrounded by yelling and laughter and  _ fear _ , Blaine thought that he’d never seen someone more beautiful than Kurt. He’d taken the blows like they were nothing but a passing breeze on a summer day. Blaine both envied and admired his strength.

“It’s uh... that was pretty mean of those guys,” Blaine said, hoping that Sam and Tina wouldn’t notice the tremor in his voice as he said that. He couldn’t find it in himself to look at either of them, instead staring in the general direction that the boys had been in. 

Tina looked over at Blaine and nodded, her lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed.

“Just ‘cause he’s gay, too. I mean there’s nothing wrong with it, right?” Tina replied, shaking her head and pursing her lips. “Poor Kurt.”

“Yeah, that must be really rough for him,” Sam said, picking at a loose thread on the knees of his jeans. 

Blaine simply hummed, not bringing up the topic again. But he found he felt lighter than he had just minutes before.

If Kurt could be strong, then maybe Blaine could be too.

* * *

“Fireworks,” Blaine mumbled quietly, a small smile growing on his face as he thought of the memory. “I-I’d say so.”

Kurt smiled back and played with the bowtie still tied around his neck. 

“That’s more like it,” He commented, “What else? What captivated you about him?”

“Um... i-if we’re being honest, I guess it was his strength,” Blaine said, thinking about seeing Kurt standing tall, unaffected. “He’s always been so... brave. He doesn’t really care what others think of him. I guess I sort of wish I could be the same.” 

Kurt didn’t respond but Blaine could tell he was listening. 

“And it’s his kindness, too. He would help anyone in trouble in a heartbeat.  _ And  _ not to mention, he’s... gorgeous.” Blaine blushed bright pink as he said that, looking at Kurt who’s eyes were still trained on the ceiling. “I-I think I like how he inspires me.”

Kurt sighed softly and sat up, smiling kindly at Blaine. 

“That’s beautiful,” He said, rolling his eyes at himself and running a hand through his hair. “I wish someone would talk about me the way you talk about Sam.”

Blaine watched him quietly, his heart aching in his chest. 

“Maybe someday, you’ll find someone who will,” Blaine replied quietly. The smile he received back from Kurt softened the pain slightly. 

“I sure hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me that the image of a tiny Blaine sitting on a giant pumpkin with a giant smile on his face doesn't make ur heart soar 
> 
> thanks for reading and for all your kind comments!!! the response has been way more than I expected and I appreciate you all <3 
> 
> Thanks again to Aly, Nery, Ela, and Maya <3 y'all are my angels!
> 
> \- Brit xx


	5. Damn! by Patent Pending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Welcome to chapter 5. Today's song is Damn! by Patent Pending which has been one of my favourite songs for years! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter x
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5MjtXtyY3A

Kurt left Blaine’s house that night with a small smile seemingly permanently affixed to his face. It had been so long since he’d been able to hang out with someone and just relax. Spending time with the girls was so performative at times, it was exhausting. Somehow, hanging out with Blaine felt like no effort at all. 

He shook off the feeling and turned on his phone, shuffling through his playlist in a weak attempt for a distraction. 

Their relationship was transactional and nothing more. Blaine would get his makeover and, hopefully, his man, and Kurt would get a passing biology grade. Then they’d part ways for the rest of high school and probably never see each other again.

That’s how these things worked. 

Kurt sighed as he pulled out of Blaine’s driveway and began the drive home, his fingers tapping along to the rhythm of the Britney Spears song playing over his speakers as he adamantly tried not to think of how disappointed he felt about the prospects of their relationship.

* * *

“I’m home,” Kurt called as he stepped into his house, dropping his keys into a little bowl by the front door. He took off his shoes and placed them neatly on the rack beside it, peering up the stairs for any signs of life. 

He looked down at the shoe rack and noticed that his dad’s boots weren’t in their normal place (which was sat right  _ next  _ to the rack, much to Kurt’s chagrin). Hm. 

Just then, he heard the familiar sound of his dad’s truck rumbling into the driveway. That was bizarre. His dad didn’t usually go out for dinner without telling Kurt first. Come to think of it, he rarely went out for dinner at all. Burt Hummel was a homebody at heart. 

Kurt leaned against the stairway banister as he listened to his dad trudging up the patio and fussing with his keys, a suspicious smile on his face.

As Burt opened the door, he placed his keys quietly in the bowl and shut the door before looking up, jumping when he saw Kurt standing right behind him.

“Shit, son, you’re gonna give me a heart attack one of these days,” Burt said, patting his chest gently and smiling. Kurt frowned and walked towards him, smacking him gently. 

“Don’t even joke about that,” Kurt said before giving his dad a tight hug, smiling at the familiar smell of motor oil on his flannel. They separated before Kurt spoke again. “Where were you? You usually tell me if you’re going out for dinner.” 

Burt paused and ran a hand over his bald head, focusing on taking off his boots. He avoided Kurt’s gaze as he tried to toe them off quickly.

“I was uh... I was just havin’ dinner with a friend, that’s all. Forgot to tell you,” Burt said as he kicked his shoes towards the rack. Kurt rolled his eyes.

“A friend?” Kurt asked, one eyebrow raised as he followed his dad to the living room. 

“Yes, a friend,” Burt said, sinking into his recliner and throwing a pillow at Kurt who ducked and let out a quiet chuckle. “Now quit bothering me. Unless you wanna watch the game with me.” There was no heat behind his words as he turned on the TV, a cheeky smile on his face.

“Mmm, as interesting as it would be to watch grown men in bicycle shorts chasing each other around on an oversized patch of grass, I have studying to do,” Kurt said dryly, standing up and throwing the pillow back at his father who caught it and hugged it to his chest. “A friend... mhm.” 

Burt rolled his eyes but chuckled to himself anyway, listening to the sound of Kurt’s footsteps traipsing up the stairs.

* * *

Blaine was just getting out of the shower when he heard his phone going off. He slipped his glasses back on his face and looked over at his phone, seeing a multitude of text messages from Kurt.

He hated how his heart leapt at the sight.

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:35pm:  
_ ** _ Hear me out. _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:35pm:  
_ ** _ [[Picture](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d2/3f/fb/d23ffbb054cd9358911fb171d6fcf636.jpg)] _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:36pm:_ **

_ [[Picture](https://i1.wp.com/www.tcnjsignal.net/media/2019/05/IMG_7783.jpg)] _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:36pm:  
_ ** _ I’m thinking a total look revamp - maybe more greaser, less Mr. Rogers? _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:36pm:  
_ ** _ Are you not replying because you hate it _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:37pm:  
_ ** _ I meant Mr. Rogers in the absolute best way. _

Blaine laughed at the string of messages, hanging his towel back on the rack before rushing to text Kurt back.

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 8:47pm:  
_ ** _ Sorry! I was in the shower.  _

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 8:48pm:  
_ ** _ And no! I don’t hate them at all. They’re all very handsome men. _

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 8:48pm:  
_ ** _ I like all of those options a lot but isn’t it kind of hot right now for jeans and a jacket? Also none of those men were wearing glasses...  _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:48pm:  
_ ** _ Oh, Blaine, that’s what contacts are for! And don’t worry, I have a ton of summer looks coming your way in just a sec.  _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:49pm:  
_ ** _ Sneak peek. [[Picture](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2061/8543/files/New_Look_man_strippy_shirt_grande.jpg?v=1525856735)] _

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 8:50pm:  
_ ** _ As much as I love all of these, I don’t really have the wardrobe to pull it off. You’ve seen what most of my clothes look like.  _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:50pm:  
_ ** _ Hm...  _ ****

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:51pm:  
_ ** _ How averse are you to going shopping for your makeover? I’m looking for full commitment here! _

Blaine raised his eyebrows at Kurt’s text. He hadn’t really thought about actually spending any money on this elaborate plan of his. He wasn’t really sure what he’d expected. He  _ did  _ have money saved up from working at Angus’ over the summer... and the monthly allowance that his parents gave him when they were out of the country on business. 

He looked towards his wardrobe and sighed. He guessed he’d have to say goodbye to his bowties for a little while, but Blaine supposed it would be worth it to just... spend time with Kurt. 

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 8:53pm:  
_ ** _ Not averse at all. I’m a blank canvas.  _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:53pm:  
_ ** _ Great! How does this Saturday work for you? There’s gonna be a sale over at the Topman at Northgate Shopping Centre.  _

Northgate? That was all the way in Westerville. Why would Kurt wanna go all the way over to Westerville for clothes?

_ He probably doesn’t wanna go to the mall here, just in case any of his friends see you two together.  _

Blaine breathed in sharply at the thought. He knew that was probably the reason why Kurt wanted to go so far. Afterall, Blaine may have been idealistic but he wasn’t stupid. But then he thought about the dreamy expression on Kurt’s face earlier, when Blaine had been describing his crush - the crush Kurt still had no clue about. He already knew he would do anything to see that smile again.

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 8:54pm:  
_ ** _ Sure. Should I meet you there or do you wanna drive over together? _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:54pm:  
_ ** _ Let’s meet there at 9:30? _

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 8:55pm:  
_ ** _ 9:30 to go shopping? Isn’t that a little early? _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 8:55pm:  
_ ** _ Early bird gets the worm, Anderson. You’ll have to get used to this with me.  _

Blaine couldn’t help the smile from growing on his face from that text, a light blush growing on the apples of his cheeks.

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 8:55pm:  
_ ** _ I think I already am.  _

* * *

“So, Blaine, you wouldn’t answer  _ any  _ of my texts last night,” Tina said as soon as she saw Blaine standing at his locker on Friday morning, adjusting his bowtie (light purple with thin yellow stripes this time). “How was your date?!” 

Blaine rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as he thought back to last night. 

“It wasn’t a date, Tina,” Blaine said casually, closing his locker and walking ahead of her, prompting Tina to speed-walk behind him anxiously. “Kurt just... came over and we talked about my makeover and our tutoring sessions, that’s all.” 

Tina groaned and rolled her eyes, her steps becoming more like petulant stomps. Blaine chuckled and stopped walking to look at her.

“What is it?”

Tina crossed her arms and stared at Blaine incredulously. 

“I hope you know that you’re making what is supposed to be a momentous time in your life incredibly  _ boring _ for me,” she said, causing Blaine to laugh quietly and nudge her with his shoulder. “I mean... I want to hear about the romance! I wanna hear that your hands brushed and you made eye contact and he  _ instantly  _ fell in love! I don’t wanna hear that you talked about clothes and biology for two hours before he went home.” 

Blaine blushed at Tina’s spiel before linking arms with her. 

“Mm... instead of being so focused on my love life -- or lack thereof -- don’t you think you should focus on your own?” Blaine asked as they walked together, “how’s Mike?”

The change of topic seemed to successfully quench Tina’s need for romance and for that, Blaine was thankful. He could build things up in his head as much as he liked but actually saying it out loud? That was the scariest part. 

As they walked down the hall, Blaine saw Kurt standing at his locker, spraying yet another coat of hairspray into his already perfect quiff. They made eye contact for the briefest of seconds and Blaine’s heart stopped. He lifted his hand and gave him a friendly smile and wave, only for Kurt to look away as quickly as he’d looked up - almost as if pretending he’d never looked up in the first place. 

Tina stopped talking as she watched the exchange, seeing Blaine put his hand down and shove it into his pocket. She saw the way he slowly looked away from Kurt, his eyes now on the linoleum floor in front of them. The sides of his lips were no longer upturned in a friendly, relaxed smile, his face a mask of disappointment. 

“Bee, I’m sorry,” Tina said quietly, squeezing Blaine’s bicep gently. “That must hurt.” 

Blaine took a deep breath and sighed, shaking his head. He forced a smile onto his face but it didn’t feel genuine. 

“It’s fine,” he murmured, pushing his glasses up with his knuckle. “I shouldn’t have expected anything different.”

* * *

Kurt had felt guilty many times before.

He’d felt guilty for agreeing to help Quinn and Santana prank Mrs. Hagberg for giving Britt a D on their algebra exam. The prank resulted in Mrs. Hagberg cancelling class so she could clean the egg white off the walls before Mr. Figgins caught wind of the incident. Kurt and the girls had gotten off scot-free. 

He’d also felt guilty for lying to his dad about the countless sleepovers at Quinn’s that were  _ actually _ parties at Puck’s. As far as his father knew, Kurt was still the sober, innocent cherub of a boy he’d always been.

Nothing had felt worse than ignoring Blaine in the hall that morning. 

He had to. That’s how he justified it to himself. He was playing the game, just like everyone else at this godforsaken school, if he broke the rules now, he’d never win. But Kurt saw the look on Blaine’s face when he’d ignored him out of the corner of his eye. The disappointed frown, the furrowed eyebrows. 

Kurt didn’t know why it hurt so much to know that  _ he’d  _ been the cause of that. And plus, the glare he’d received from that short, Asian girl (Tracy? Tina?) Blaine was always with didn’t help either.

“What’s got you so down in the dumps, Lady? You need a tampon?” 

Kurt jumped and turned around when he heard a familiar voice standing just behind him. Santana. He rolled his eyes and shut his locker with a tad more aggression than necessary.

“Nothing, Santana, I’m fine.”

Santana raised her eyebrows before rolling her eyes and looking down the hall. 

“Whatever. Where were you last night?” Santana asked, leaning against the locker next to Kurt’s and glaring at the freshman who’d been trying to open it. “I texted you like 20 times.”

_ Shit.  _

“I was... out. With my dad. He took me to this... dumb car show thing,” Kurt said quickly as he began to walk to his class, Santana hot on his trail. “I... he made me put my phone away ‘cause... his mechanic friends were there. He didn’t want me to be rude.” 

“Hm. I thought you were gonna say something interesting like you were with a guy but whatevs’. Santana replied, pulling out her phone and tapping out a message on it. “You still up for ladies’ sleepover tonight? Q’s parents won’t be home so we can break into the liquor cabinet, get drunk, and send Puck naughty texts like we did last time.” 

“Yeah, sure, lemme just-” Kurt paused as he remembered. Blaine. Shopping. Saturday. “Uh... actually, I can’t. I can’t tonight.”

Santana furrowed her eyebrows and stepped in front of Kurt, stopping him from walking any further. 

“What do you mean you can’t? You’ve never missed a girls’ night, Kurt, not since freshman year.” 

Kurt hoped that Santana couldn’t  _ smell _ his nervousness - although knowing her, it was highly plausible that she could. He had to think of a lie  _ fast. _

“I-I have another... I have a thing. With my dad. He’s been complaining about not seeing me enough since the... since coach Sylvester has been making us practice like every day after school,” Kurt replied, throwing in an eye-roll for added effect.

Santana hummed, her lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed, before turning back to her phone and typing away.

“You’re acting way weirder than usual,” Santana said, as she sent the text. “But whatever. Just don’t make it a habit of ditching us for your dad.” 

“I won’t,” Kurt breathed quietly. 

For the rest of their walk to class, Kurt didn’t say a word, his face schooled into his practiced bitch glare. No one could see how fast and hard his heart was beating in his chest. 

That had been way too close for comfort. 

* * *

As soon as Blaine finished parking his car in the parking lot of Northgate Shopping Center, he took a long swig of his coffee and sighed, leaning back in his seat and allowing his eyes to close for a second. 

The morning had been suboptimal to say the least. First, in his nervous haze, he hadn’t been able to go to sleep until 3am which meant he’d been extra groggy when he woke up at 8 to get ready. Then, after he’d brushed his teeth and washed his face, he reached for his hair gel to shellac the curls to his head the way he always did, only to find that he only had the smallest of dollops left. He made do with what he had but it still didn’t feel right. 

Blaine sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose before turning off his car and stepping out, coffee in hand. His eyes scoured the parking lot for any signs of Kurt. 

He didn’t know how to feel after yesterday. Kurt ignoring him had been such a small part of his day, and yet it had managed to make an incredibly large impact. And although Blaine knew he wouldn’t be able to resist smiling at Kurt the way he always did, he still held a small pang in his chest when he remembered how it had felt to be ignored. 

It hurt. 

He swirled around the rest of his coffee before finishing the last of it, swallowing quickly to distract himself. When he looked back up, he spotted Kurt standing by the entrance and began walking towards him, throwing his coffee cup away in the process. 

“Morning,” Blaine called as he got closer, smiling half-heartedly. His voice was still low and rough from sleep. Kurt looked up from his phone and smiled, waving at Blaine. 

“Hey,” Kurt said, his eyes drifting to the top of Blaine’s head. For some reason Kurt couldn’t place, his fingers were itching to run themselves through it. “Your hair looks different.”

Blaine lifted a hand to his head and patted it insecurely, frowning.

“Uh... yeah, I um... I ran out of hair gel this morning. I had to use way less than I usually do,” Blaine laughed quietly and shrugged, “it probably looks weird.”

Kurt bit his lip as he looked at it, balling his hands into fists to keep himself from reaching out and touching it. 

“No, no. I... I actually like it,” Kurt said, looking down at Blaine who raised his eyebrows in surprise. “It suits you. Maybe you could try wearing it like this more often.” 

Blaine blushed and smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. He could feel his heart start to race.  _ I actually like it. _

“Um... I mean... ma-maybe.” Blaine said, his fingers dipping into the part of his hair that was usually hardened by gel. It  _ did  _ feel softer... and a lot less confining. Maybe he could get used to this.

And if Kurt liked it... 

“So, you ready to shop?” Kurt asked, a giddy grin on his face. The sight of it made Blaine’s stomach flip. “I did a little pre-shopping online so I know just what we’re looking for.”

Blaine raised his eyebrows.

“Wow... you put a lot of effort into this.” Into  _ me. _

“Well,” Kurt mumbled bashfully, shrugging. “I am kind of a pro when it comes to shopping. Let’s go!”

And as Kurt began walking, Blaine followed behind him dutifully, thinking that he would happily follow Kurt anywhere for the rest of his life.

* * *

Blaine slumped down into a booth at the food court, dropping his many bags on the floor in the process. They’d been shopping for a little over four hours now and Blaine could feel a deep ache beginning to make itself home in his shoulders and thighs. Kurt, on the other hand, didn’t seem affected at all.

He walked over to the table and sat down across from Blaine, smiling brightly as he looked through his own bags. 

They may have been shopping for Blaine but... Kurt was allowed to enjoy himself too, right?

“I can’t believe how good these sales are! I hope the back-to-school sales never end,” Kurt said as he pulled out a lush blue scarf from one of his bags, “and I can’t believe how cheap those jeans were! They looked great on you, Blaine.”

Blaine would have blushed if he had the energy to, but instead he just smiled. 

“Um... thanks, Kurt.” 

Kurt looked up then, smiling gently. 

“What for?”

“You know, for... for helping me. You didn’t have to,” Blaine said quietly. “I know you’d rather be spending time with your actual friends.”

Kurt paused and sighed, placing the scarf back into his bag and resting his chin on the palm of his hand. Sure, he enjoyed popularity. It was fun and refreshing and, most importantly,  _ safe. _ He never had to look over his shoulder or brave a day at school worrying about getting slushied or checked into lockers. 

But he couldn’t remember the last time he genuinely laughed in front of his friends. 

And he didn’t mean the mean chuckle that he managed to force whenever one of the boys on the football team did something either stupid or gross (often times both). 

Spending time with Blaine felt like a breath of fresh air. 

“You know what, Blaine?” Kurt said suddenly, “I’ve been having a great time so far. You’re a great shopping buddy.”

Blaine breathed in sharply and blushed, chuckling and looking down at the table, unsure how to respond. His heart was beating loudly in his ears. Maybe a relationship was too far away to even consider but... he and Kurt could be... friends, right?

“Kurt?”

Kurt and Blaine both looked up at the voice calling Kurt’s name. Blaine’s heart stopped in his chest before his eyes fell on a short woman with dirty blonde hair and a kind smile. 

“Oh! Um... M-Mrs. Hudson, hi!” Kurt said, eyes wide as he looked between Blaine and Mrs. Hudson. “It’s nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Kurt, and you can call me Carole.,” she said, placing a light hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently. “You’re over at my house often enough. How’s your father doing?”

Kurt raised his eyebrows. His father?

“Um... he’s fine,” Kurt said slowly, eyebrow raised. “Why? Did Dr. Halstead mention something?”

Carole laughed and shook her head. 

“Oh, no, don’t worry, sweetie. I was just asking ‘cause, well... ” Carole blushed lightly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. Kurt watched with both eyebrows raised now, leaning back slightly in his seat. “He and I bumped into each other... well, I wouldn’t say bumped into so much as... I had to take my car into the shop a few weeks ago and... I was just curious, is all.”

Kurt hummed slowly, lips pursed. Interesting.

Carole waved her hand in a dismissive motion before locking eyes with Blaine who was watching the exchange, eyes wide and heart in his throat.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. Are you one of Finn’s friends?”

Blaine looked at Kurt with a slightly panicked expression before his manners managed to take over and he looked back at Carole, schooling his trademark charming smile on his face and taking her hand to shake it.

“I’m Blaine Anderson, I actually go to school with Finn. We’re in glee together,” Blaine said smoothly. He thought it would probably be best not to mention the fact that Finn’s friends tormented him on a daily basis. That wasn’t exactly appropriate first- meeting talk. “He probably hasn’t mentioned me, we um... run in different circles.”

“Oh!” Carole said, smiling politely, obviously charmed by Blaine’s smooth voice and demeanor. “That’s a shame. Finn needs more... polite friends.”

They all paused, a beat of silence successfully ending the interaction. 

“Well, I’ll let you boys get on with your day, then!” Carole said before giving Blaine and Kurt a little wave and walking off. 

Kurt let out a quiet breath and watched her go before looking around the food court. If Carole had been there, what if there were other people he knew at the mall, too? What if the guys from the football team were here or--, god forbid--, Quinn, Britt, and Santana?

“Worried about getting caught spending time with me?”

Blaine’s voice cut through Kurt’s worry, making him whip his head around to look back at Blaine who was now toying with his watch strap, clearly avoiding eye contact.

“What?”

Blaine sighed and looked at Kurt, nibbling on his lip nervously.

“Nothing, I just... ” Blaine sighed and stared off into the distance, blinking quickly a few times. “I know that spending time with me is sort of... dangerous for you. I mean, I’m not popular or cool. I actually think more people like the janitor than they like me. I know that... you’re risking a lot to be here with me.”

Kurt’s breath hitched and he felt his heart sink, an ache settling deep into his stomach at Blaine’s words.

“Blaine... ” He said quietly, though he didn’t know what else he could say. Blaine was right. It was dangerous for Kurt even entertaining the idea of spending time with Blaine outside their houses, and yet... he still did it. Why? 

Because he wanted to help him? Because he needed to pass biology? 

Or because of some other reason, picking away at the back of Kurt’s mind like the beginnings of a cold he could feel coming. 

They both sat in silence, letting the tinny radio music playing over the food court speakers speak for them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments!!! They're so nice to read and so motivating, y'all have no idea <3 
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far and the songs! The songs aren't integral to the plot or anything but i think they're just a fun extra. 
> 
> Thanks for reading everyone!
> 
> \- Brit x


	6. make you feel pretty by lovelytheband

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good afternoon everyone! The song for this chapter is make you feel pretty by lovelytheband! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter 'cause it's one of my favourites! 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws514mx1iCQ

They’d agreed to drive to Kurt’s house to try and get some studying in and to look over their purchases but something had changed between them. There was a tension that hadn’t been there before that Kurt definitely could have lived without. 

“So... ” Kurt said as they walked to their separate cars, “I’ll drive in front and you can follow behind me?”

Blaine mustered up a small smile and nodded.

“Okay... um, you have my address just in case we get separated. I guess I’ll see you later?” Kurt asked, his grip on his shopping bags tightening slightly. He didn’t know why he was suddenly so nervous.

They stood there together for a moment, neither one wanting to bring up what had happened in the food court. Kurt sighed and cleared his throat before nodding in the direction of his car. 

“I’ll um... I’ll pull out first, just follow behind me, okay?” He said before giving Blaine a tight smile and walking to his car. 

Blaine sighed and watched Kurt go, a sinking feeling in his chest. 

He shouldn’t have said anything at the food court earlier. He should have just kept his mouth shut and let the moment pass. He knew full well that they couldn’t be friends in public, not if Kurt wanted to keep his place on the throne. 

Now, Blaine had made things awkward and uncomfortable. He’d crossed an unspoken line in their pseudo-friendship. 

He sighed quietly to himself and hit his steering wheel lightly before pulling out of the parking lot and following Kurt’s car.

* * *

When Blaine arrived at Kurt’s house, he saw Kurt standing outside the front door, his eyebrows furrowed as he texted furiously on his phone. Blaine cautiously opened his car door and slammed it loudly enough to make a sound, prompting Kurt to look up. His heart soared when Kurt’s face softened at seeing him.

Maybe he hadn’t ruined everything.

“Blaine, hey! Um... ” Kurt looked back at his house and flushed, suddenly embarrassed. It was nothing like Blaine’s house with it’s opulence and beautiful landscaping. The Hummels were by no means  _ poor _ but... next to Blaine’s near-mansion of a house, Kurt’s house suddenly felt like a shed. “This is my place.” 

Blaine smiled kindly though, looking at the porch swing that hung just next to the front door and the small garden that looked lovingly tended to. It looked homey. Warm. 

“I like it,” Blaine said, his eyes on the rope handles of the porch swing as he imagined a smaller Kurt swinging on it, reading, giggling, soaking in the summer sun... 

Kurt didn’t know why the compliment pleased him so much but he smiled, ducking his head to hide the evidence of his happiness. 

He dug his keys out of his pocket and jingled them lightly, regrabbing Blaine’s attention. He opened the door to the house and stepped inside, Blaine following dutifully behind.

* * *

They got up to Kurt’s room and Blaine stepped inside, putting his shopping bags down on the floor next to Kurt’s. His room was immediately so different from his own room, all classy white walls and vintage furniture. He had less pictures up -- though Blaine could see a few -- and more knick knacks and books.

He walked towards Kurt’s desk and glanced at it, seeing a McKinley high pennant sticking out of a little pencil cup in the corner. There was also a picture of a smaller -- but still obviously  _ adorable  _ \-- Kurt wearing a tutu, his arms around a larger man, smiling with more pride than Blaine thought possible. 

“Aw… you were a ballerina?” Blaine asked,

“Is that your dad?” Blaine asked, looking back at Kurt who was blushing as he watched Blaine explore. “Cute tutu, by the way.”

“Oh! Yeah, that’s my dad. He’s sort of... he’s my biggest cheerleader,” Kurt said softly, smiling as he walked towards the desk and glanced at the photo. “After my mom died, he was all I had left, so... ”

Oh. Blaine’s heart ached for Kurt and he bit his lip before tentatively extending a hand and patting Kurt’s arm gently. 

“Kurt-”

“Don’t. Don’t tell me you’re sorry,” Kurt said, “It’s been 8 years, I’m fine. I-I don’t even know why I told you that.”

Blaine dropped his hand and Kurt found that he missed the touch almost immediately. Kurt lifted his eyes to meet Blaine’s and felt himself taken aback by the  _ kindness _ in his eyes.

“You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met,” Blaine said softly. 

Kurt raised his eyebrows and smiled, his cheeks heating up. 

“I... ” Kurt cleared his throat as he tried to find the right words to say.  _ Why was he so flustered?!  _ “I thought Sam was the bravest person you’ve ever met.” 

“Well... a guy can change his mind, right?” Blaine said quietly, looking down at the carpet. He felt a tightness rise in his chest when Kurt brought up Sam but he pushed it down, electing to ignore it. 

Kurt smiled and he felt his blush grow darker.

“Thanks, I guess,” Kurt said quietly.  _ It’s not true, I’m not brave. Not like you. _ He sighed softly before nudging Blaine’s shoulder and smiling. “How about we try on some of the clothes we bought today?"

Blaine looked up and shook his head, laughing nervously and walking toward the bed, sitting on the edge of it.

“No, no, I-I mean... that can wait! We should really study first,” Blaine replied, smiling sheepishly. “I mean, we’ve been so focused on all of... my stuff.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and walked over to the bags, pulling out a black pocket t-shirt with floral designs on the sleeves and pocket and a pair of light coloured jeans. He smiled and threw them over to Blaine who caught them haphazardly. 

“Try these on first,” Kurt said, grinning as he shooed Blaine toward his bathroom and sat on his bed. 

Blaine looked between the clothes and Kurt and sighed, standing up.

“Okay, but... for every outfit I try on, you have to read a paragraph from the study guide I sent you,” Blaine said, looking pointedly at Kurt. Kurt groaned and laid back on his bed, his shirt riding up. Blaine tried not to stare too obviously, but... how could he not?

“Blaine-”

“Kurt!” Blaine insisted, reaching for Kurt’s laptop and placing it next to him on the bed. “I have to keep up my end of the bargain somehow.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and opened his computer, pulling up the study guide with a pout. 

“Why do you have to be a  _ good _ tutor?” Kurt whined, his eyes barely skimming the words and diagrams in front of him.

Blaine laughed quietly. 

“Less whining, more reading!” Blaine called from behind the bathroom door. Kurt sighed. 

“Eukaryotes have compartments in them that contain chromosomes,” Kurt droned, his ears perked for sounds coming from the bathroom. “This compartment is called the nucleus which is surrounded by a double layer of membrane.” 

Kurt giggled at the small drawing of a cell Blaine had added in the margins of his notes. The cell in the drawing was wearing glasses and a little necktie. Adorable.

As Kurt went to read the next paragraph, the bathroom door opened and he looked up, seeing Blaine standing in the doorway, his hand clutching his forearm.

Kurt got up off the bed and walked over to Blaine, eyes scanning his outfit. The t-shirt was tight but not obnoxiously so. Kurt definitely did  _ not _ notice how the patterned sleeves accentuated the muscles in Blaine’s arms. He gestured for Blaine to turn around and he did so hesitantly, clasping his hands in front of him as Kurt observed the fit of the jeans.

Oh.

“Oh.”

Blaine turned his head to look over his shoulder at Kurt.

“What?”

Kurt looked up and blushed lightly, shaking his head. What was a polite, non-objectification-y way to say ‘Your butt looks  _ amazing _ ?’

“Nothing! Nothing. You look... very handsome.” Kurt said, fiddling with the sleeve weakly and stepping back. “Oh! Come see yourself!”

Blaine walked towards Kurt’s mirror and stood in front of it, placing his hands in his pockets. He looked... kind of cool. He smiled to himself and turned, running his hands down the thighs of his jeans. 

“I think I like it more than I thought I would,” Blaine said, looking at Kurt whose hands were clasped just in front of his nose, looking like an excitable child on Christmas morning. Blaine smiled at the sight.

“Sam won’t know what hit him!”

Blaine hummed noncommittally as he looked at himself in the mirror. Every time they had a moment, Kurt had to remind him of his lie. His lie that he saw no foreseeable way out of. The only reason why he and Kurt were even interacting in the first place. 

“Now, about your hair... ” Kurt said, circling Blaine and touching his gelled curls gently. Blaine blushed up to his roots and looked up at where Kurt’s arm was hovering just over his head. 

“Uh, wh-what about it?” He asked, trying not to savour the feeling  _ too _ much when Kurt sank his fingers into the gel in an attempt to loosen its hold. His eyes threatened to flutter shut but he kept them open, firmly affixed on the wall.

Kurt pulled his hand out of Blaine’s firmly shellacked curls and hummed.

“Have you ever worn it without all the gel?” Kurt asked, trying to ignore the smell of raspberries that lingered just faintly.

Blaine shook his head quickly and lifted his hand almost automatically in an attempt to smooth down his locks. 

“N-No, I’ve gelled it for as long as I can remember. My curls are really fine, so... without all this product, I kind of look like Medusa.”

Kurt giggled at the image and Blaine couldn’t suppress his smile at the sound.

“I highly doubt that,” Kurt said with another soft chuckle as he reached out to tug on a small curl that had escaped its prison. Blaine shook his head in alarm.

“You haven’t seen it, Kurt, it’s bad.”

Kurt rolled his eyes at the melodrama and patted Blaine’s shoulder gently, gesturing for him to go back into the bathroom.

“Get in there, grab the stool that’s next to the shower, and lean against the sink. I wanna wash all this product out of your hair.” 

Blaine gulped at the image that played in his mind as he did what Kurt asked, sitting with his back to the sink on a little stool. 

Kurt walked over and grabbed his shampoo and conditioner before turning on the tap, filling a small cup with warm water. Blaine swallowed as Kurt stood closer, the sound of rushing water filling his ears.

Blaine simply stared up at the ceiling as he listened to the sound of water sloshing around in the sink basin, swallowing thickly. His eyes fluttered shut automatically when he felt a rush of warm water flowing over his head, slowly but surely loosening the gel’s grip. He felt Kurt’s hands gently running through his hair and he couldn’t fight back the pleased hum that escaped him. 

Blaine opened his eyes at the sound and looked at Kurt who didn’t seem to notice. He wanted to say something. To lift the silence and the tension that Blaine was feeling, but as Kurt continued to shampoo and soak his hair, he found that words had escaped him. It felt too good. He didn’t want to ruin the moment, after all.

“I have to, um... ” Kurt said quietly, shuffling slightly closer and pausing awkwardly. “I-I can’t... hold on.” 

Blaine felt Kurt’s knee resting on the stool next to his thigh as he leaned over more, trying to scrub thoroughly at the gel on the back of his head. Kurt was practically in his lap now.  _ Oh, God, Blaine... think unsexy thoughts. _

_ Mom and Paul dancing at their wedding (dancing wasn’t exactly the right word for it... grinding, perhaps?). _

_ Grandma in a bathing suit. _

_ Rachel Berry in her light-up reindeer sweater. _

Blaine breathed out a slow, shaky breath as he tried to get his thoughts under control. Before he knew it, the water had been turned off and Kurt was gently patting his shoulder, telling him to sit up. 

He felt a soft towel come over his head as Kurt began to gently squeeze the water out of Blaine’s curls. He was enveloped in the sweet scent of lavender and vanilla. 

Kurt pulled the towel away and hung it up on the rack behind him. He took a look at Blaine’s hair and smiled.

“Do you usually use a blowdryer or do you just let your hair air dry?”

Blaine was pulled out of the intimacy of the moment by Kurt’s abrupt question. His head was still swimming with different thoughts, so it took him a little bit longer to come up with an eloquent answer.

“Um, I... I guess I just let it air dry.” Blaine said, his voice coming out slightly lower than normal. Luckily for him, Kurt didn’t seem to notice.

Or if he did, he didn’t say anything.

“Okay, that’s good. We can get you some products to manage the frizziness,” Kurt said, his fingers itching to run themselves through those dark locks once more. They were just so  _ soft. _ “We can get you some styling creams and some anti-frizz stuff but for now... ”

Kurt leaned over Blaine to reach some of his hair product that sat just behind him on the counter. Blaine’s eyes widened as he was suddenly met with Kurt’s stomach right in his face. He hoped his blush wasn’t too intense. 

Kurt opened a small pot of cream and scooped out a fingertip sized amount, showing Blaine deliberately.

“You only need this much, Blaine, remember that.” Kurt said teasingly as he rubbed it all over his palms. 

Blaine felt his eyes close as Kurt began working the cream through his hair gently. 

“Kurt... ” The word slipped past Blaine’s lips before he could stop it. He heard Kurt’s breath hitch slightly and he opened his eyes, barely breathing himself.  _ Shit, he’d made things weird again, hadn’t he? _

“I-yes?” Kurt asked, his voice soft. His hand had stilled in Blaine’s hair, the other one coming down to rest on Blaine’s shoulder lightly, his palm facing upward so he didn’t get any cream on Blaine’s new shirt. 

Blaine cleared his throat and looked away, his eyes falling to the floor. 

“Nothing. You’re um... you’re good at this.” 

Kurt paused and looked at Blaine. He looked at his downcast eyes, his thick, long lashes, his lips that had fallen into a neutral frown. Oh, what Kurt would do just to see another one of Blaine’s genuine grins. 

Then, just as quickly as the thought came, it vanished, and Kurt pulled his hand out of Blaine’s hair like he’d been burned.

“Thanks! Um... I-I had a lot of practice. With my own hair, I mean,” Kurt stammered, wiping his hands quickly on a towel before taking a big step back, giving Blaine a tight smile. “I-I can send you the names of... of the products you should buy.”

Blaine stood up and nodded, his cheeks still slightly pink. 

“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Kurt.”

Kurt hated how viscerally he responded to Blaine just saying his name.

* * *

After the hair incident, Blaine and Kurt studied for another few hours before Blaine left. Even after Blaine’s departure, Kurt couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened in the bathroom. What had gotten into him? 

He didn’t  _ like _ Blaine, certainly not. Just because he was handsome and smart and funny and kind and... 

Kurt groaned and covered his face with his hands, shaking his head vehemently. 

No. He did not like Blaine Anderson. Guys like Kurt did not date guys like Blaine. At least not in high school. College, maybe... but not when Kurt was so close to leaving Lima unscathed. He couldn’t take that risk.

Kurt sighed heavily and looked over at his cellphone. He saw a text from Blaine, notifying him that he’d gotten home safe but he ignored it in favour of dialing a different, more familiar number.

“Hello?”

Kurt breathed in shakily before closing his eyes, feeling as if he were on the edge of a cliff, swaying backwards and forwards with the wind.

“Quinn? Can you and the girls come over?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoyed that chapter!!! The hair scene is honestly one of my favourite scenes from this fic that I've written so I hope you guys feel the same!! 
> 
> Thanks for reading! All your comments and kudos are appreciated! 
> 
> \- Brit xx


	7. We're Freakin' Out (Map to Tahiti) by Patent Pending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's song is We're Freakin' Out (Map to Tahiti) by Patent Pending!!! One of my favourite songs from a band that I really love!
> 
> Happy reading everyone x

“So, what changed, Hummel?” Santana asked as she leaned over Kurt who was sat in a chair by his vanity. “We’ve been trying to get you to come to Scandals with us for months.” 

Kurt closed his eyes and let Santana apply his eyeliner. He shrugged as minimally as he could. 

“I don’t know, I just... wanted a change of scene, I guess,” Kurt said, trying to focus on the Britney Spears playing softly over his speaker as they all got ready. He felt Santana gently blow on his eyes to dry the make up before opening them, blinking a few times.

He saw Santana smirk at him as she put the cap back on her eyeliner pen. 

“Damn, Kurt, you look hot!” she said, dropping the pen back into her make up bag and pulling her dress down to smooth out the wrinkles. “You’ll be the belle of the ball.”

Kurt looked at her incredulously and rolled his eyes, though a small smile grew on his face. This is exactly what he needed. A distraction. A change of pace.

Quinn finished braiding Brittany’s hair and looked over at Kurt.

“She’s right, Kurt, you look great. The boys won’t know what hit them.” 

“Wait, why would Kurt wanna hit any of the boys at Scandals?” Brittany asked, turning around from where he was sitting on Kurt’s bed to look at him. 

Kurt laughed quietly and shook his head, playing with the suspenders that he’d left dangling by his thighs. 

“I’m not gonna hit anyone, Britt, I just wanna dance with my girls,” Kurt said firmly, giving his hair one final spritz of hairspray. “Santana, did you bring my fake ID?”

Santana pulled a small rectangle of plastic out of her bra and handed it to Kurt who took it gingerly, frowning when he found that it was warm. He studied the card and looked at Santana in a panic.

“This says that I’m 35! No bouncer is gonna believe that, no matter how dark it is!” Kurt exclaimed. “Also ‘Eugene Sissy’?” 

Santana rolled her eyes as she applied her lipstick.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Are you  _ trying _ to get me arrested?!” 

“Relax, Kurt, the bouncers at Scandals barely pay attention to fake IDs anyway. They’re just a formality,” Quinn said, walking over to Kurt and straightening out a wrinkle in his collar. “What matters is you look hot and we’re gonna have a great time, okay?” 

Kurt sighed and slipped the ID into his pocket. He managed to muster up a small smile and squeezed Quinn’s hand when she placed it in his own. 

“Yeah, we are,” he said, his smile growing slightly.

Kurt Hummel was gonna have a good time, damn it.

* * *

Kurt Hummel was having a  _ great _ time. 

Who knew that vodka could make him feel so  _ good? _ He felt loose and limber and... free. The music was pounding in his ears and his body was almost moving of its own accord but he  _ loved  _ it. 

Kurt opened his eyes and giggled when his vision swam in front of him before focusing on Quinn who was dancing. Her cheeks were slightly flushed but she still looked gorgeous even after dancing and drinking for the better half of an hour. 

“I told you we were gonna have a good time!” Quinn exclaimed, squeezing Kurt’s arm. Kurt grinned and threw his arms around her, giving her a hug.

“I am having the best time!” Kurt yelled back. In fact, he’d been having such a good time, he’d barely even thought about Blaine!

Oh.

Until just now.

Kurt tried to shove the thought away and raised his arms as the song changed, his hips swaying from side to side. His eyes slipped shut as he let his body move to the rhythm of the music. He felt Quinn tap his side gently and he opened his eyes. 

“You threw me off my groove!” Kurt whined, bumping his hip into hers gently. Quinn rolled her eyes but bumped him back before gesturing for him to lower himself so she could whisper in his ear.

“That guy over there has been staring at you for like 15 minutes, she whispered, pointing just over Kurt’s shoulder. 

Kurt whipped around and instantly made eye contact with another man. Said boy was tall, possibly taller than Kurt, and had blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. They were nothing like Blaine’s deeper hazel coloured eyes.

_ Damn it, stop thinking about Blaine! _

Kurt smiled at the man before turning around and looking at a very amused Quinn.

“What do I do?!”

Quinn rolled her eyes and laughed, shoving him gently. 

“Go ask him to dance! I’m gonna get water.” And before Kurt could protest, Quinn was slipping through the crowd and walking towards the bar where Santana and Brittany were sat ( _ very _ close together).

Kurt bit his lip as he tried to straighten out his shirt. Was he really doing this? He was really doing this. He exhaled shakily before turning around and walking toward the man whose (non-triangular) eyebrows were slightly raised. 

When Kurt finally reached the other man, he found himself at a loss for words.

“Um... h-hi!” As soon as the greeting escaped his lips, Kurt winced. Could he be anymore juvenile? 

The man simply smiled back and extended his hand for Kurt to shake. 

“Adam.” 

Kurt flushed as they shook hands, feeling Adam squeeze his hand gently. Was that a hint of a British accent he heard? 

“I’m Kurt!” Kurt said back, hoping Adam could hear him over the pounding bass. “Would... would you like to dance, maybe?” 

Adam grinned and pushed himself off the pillar he was leaning against, his hand still holding Kurt’s as he walked him towards the dance floor.

“I thought you’d never ask,” He said, pulling Kurt to the edge of the dance floor where they began dancing together, swaying and bopping awkwardly. 

Kurt bit his lip and looked over at the bar. He saw Santana, Brittany, and Quinn watching him and he inhaled sharply before wrapping his arms loosely around Adam’s neck. That was the right move, right?

Apparently, it was. Kurt felt Adam’s hands resting on his waist and he smiled slightly, swaying along with him to the music. Maybe it was the alcohol or the adrenaline, but Kurt felt  _ amazing _ . 

They danced for so long that Kurt lost track of how many times the songs had changed. Adam’s hands felt  _ really _ nice on his waist and all the songs the DJ was playing were Kurt’s favourites! 

“You’re a really good dance partner!” Kurt said, giggling when Adam jerked his head back in surprise, his own amused smile on his lips. “You could be like... a professional!”

“Well, I don’t know about that but you’re a pretty great dancer yourself, Kurt,” Adam leaned his head closer to Kurt’s so he wouldn’t have to yell, his breath skimming over Kurt’s ear gently. He felt Adam pull him closer and his hands slid from his waist to his hips.

Kurt swallowed nervously at the change of position but he didn’t say anything, focusing on the way his hips were moving in time to the song. He inhaled shakily and frowned at the scent of sweat and peppermint that filled his nose. 

Kurt had never been too fond of the smell of peppermint. He found himself yearning for a fruitier scent and a smaller stature. A darker head of hair, perhaps... 

“I think I’m the luckiest guy here tonight,” Adam breathed, his nose brushing against the area right in front of his ear, “do you know how good you look? I could count at least ten other guys here tonight who were practically salivating just watching you dance.”

“R-really?” Kurt asked, his heart racing in a not-so-pleasant way. He suddenly felt  _ very _ warm, sweat gathering on the small of his back as Adam pressed closer. “I-I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, believe it.” 

Kurt frowned when he felt Adam’s breath on his neck and he backed up slightly, his hands coming up to rest on Adam’s shoulders so he could push him backward lightly. 

“Um... maybe we should go get a drink and cool down?”

Adam backed up and raised his eyebrows. 

“Why? I’m having fun right here,” Adam grinned as he said that before attempting to pull Kurt closer once more. Kurt pushed on Adam’s shoulders a bit more forcefully then, successfully separating them both and walking briskly towards the door. 

He left and leaned against the dirty brick wall of the building, inhaling deeply like he hadn’t breathed in weeks. Kurt closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of people talking quietly over cigarettes or singing loudly as they walked to their cabs. 

His head was swimming as he leaned against the wall, colours exploding behind his eyes as he tried to calm down. 

Suddenly, Kurt’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he opened his eyes. Just as he went to pull out his phone, he felt someone lean against the wall beside him and he looked over. Quinn was standing next to him, eyebrow raised and a small smile on her face. 

“I was just getting some fresh air,” Kurt breathed, pushing himself off the wall and crossing his arms. 

Quinn hummed.

“What’s going on? That guy was totally into you.” Quinn looked at him, a concerned furrow in her brow. “Was he getting grabby?”

Kurt sighed and ran a hand through his hair carefully, shrugging.

“... Yeah, something like that,” Kurt looked at Quinn and smiled at her, “you didn’t have to come check up on me.” 

Quinn smiled and walked towards Kurt, pulling him in for a hug. 

“Yeah, I did. You’re my friend, after all. And besides, I couldn’t send Santana or Britt out here. Santana would just nag you about being a priss and Britt would probably just... confuse you.” 

Kurt smiled and chuckled quietly, wrapping his arms around Quinn’s back as she hooked his chin against his shoulder.

“Get a room, heteros!” 

Kurt and Quinn startled at the voice and looked at each other before dissolving into quiet giggles. Kurt sighed happily and linked arms with Quinn. 

“Shall we go back in?”

Quinn patted his arm gently and smiled.

“We shall.”

* * *

All four of them stumbled back to Quinn’s house, piling into a cab and annoying the poor cabbie who’d picked them up with their laughter and drunken singing. 

They reached Quinn’s house and shushed each other as they staggered in, giggling quietly as they began the trek upstairs to Quinn’s room. 

“Guys, that was so fun... why have I never gone to sandals before?” Kurt said happily as he walked into Quinn’s room and flopped down onto her bed.

“Scandals! Not  _ sandals _ ,” Brittany said with a giggle as she sat by Kurt’s head and began playing with his hair. 

“Uh-oh, when Britt starts making more sense than you, you know you’re drunk,” Santana commented dryly, though she looked pleased as well. Her hair was messy and her make-up was smeared but she still looked gorgeous.  Quinn shook her head at them as she began cleaning off her makeup, undoubtedly the least drunk of the bunch. 

Kurt sighed and got up, rubbing his face sleepily and walking towards Quinn’s vanity. Santana quickly took his spot on the bed and cuddled close to Brittany.

“Q, I’m gonna take a shower, ‘kay?” Kurt mumbled, nuzzling Quinn’s hair drunkenly. 

Quinn laughed and nodded.

“You know where the spare towels are.” 

Kurt nodded and walked into Quinn’s bathroom, shutting the door gently and leaning against it. He closed his eyes for a moment before sighing happily and unzipping his pants, wiggling as he attempted to slide his tight jeans down his legs. As he did, Kurt heard a clatter as his phone fell out of his back pocket and onto the floor of Quinn’s bathroom. 

Kurt bent down slowly and picked it up, his head swirling unpleasantly from the action. He turned his phone on and saw two texts on the screen. Two texts that made a smile grow on Kurt’s face before he could help himself.

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 12:56am:  
_ ** _ Hey, Kurt, I found some materials online that might help you study! They’re interactive too, so hopefully they’ll be able to help you while I’m not there.  _

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 12:57am:  
_ ** _ http:// _ [ _ www.bioninja.com/unit_4/cell_biology _ ](http://www.bioninja.com/unit_4/cell_biology)

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 12:57am:  
_ ** _ Sorry to send these so late! I was doing some studying myself and I just stumbled upon this site. I hope it helps you :) _

Kurt smiled and cooed quietly to himself as he read Blaine’s texts.  _ Blaine _ . So sweet and considerate, thinking of ways he could help Kurt even when he wasn’t there. Blaine really was the sweetest guy... and the cutest... wait, no. Those are the thoughts we  _ repress _ , Kurt.

He frowned as he stared down at his phone, feeling frustration rising in his chest. Blaine wasn’t sweet, he was stupid. He was unpopular and had absolutely no business making Kurt feel the things he was feeling.

And besides, even if he  _ did  _ like Blaine, which he didn’t, Blaine had a crush on Sam. There wasn’t anything Kurt could do about that fact. 

Stupid Sam, with his huge lips and his abs and his windswept blonde hair that Kurt was  _ pretty sure _ he dyed. It was pretty obvious actually, no one could get such a perfect shade of blonde through nature and luck alone! 

He huffed and sat on the floor of Quinn’s bathroom, typing out a response for Blaine.

**_From Kurt Hummel, 2:16am:  
_ ** _!!!! baline hr so nice thank u!!!! _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 2:16am:  
_ ** _ Oh u trxted me a long time ago hehe oopsieeee _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 2:17am:  
_ ** _ Blaaaaiiine i thinj htat i really like bei ng freinds wi t h you. _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 2:17am:  
_ ** _ You dont make me pretend _

Kurt sighed and stared at his phone for a few minutes before turning it off, unsatisfied at the lack of response he’d received. He placed it on the counter before taking off the rest of his clothes and hopping into the shower, sighing happily at the feeling of the warm water against his back and shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo some spicy spicy content. Whatever will Kurt do next??? 
> 
> This chapter was super fun and I just wanna say thank you again to my wonderful friends Nery and Maya for reading and giving me notes xx love u guys!
> 
> Thank you for all your wonderful comments!! You all make my heart go woo! <3
> 
> \- Brit xx


	8. For You Forever by Set It Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very excited about this chapter and this song because this song is by one of my absolute favourite bands ever!! The song is For You Forever by Set It Off - my interpretation of the song is very different from the analysis I read on genius lyrics but........i'm gonna assume that I'm right fdsklfjs
> 
> happy reading!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af2uQChF1nU

Blaine woke up on Sunday morning and blinked blearily, sunlight streaming through his curtains and hitting his face. He groaned quietly and rolled over, burying his head back into his pillows as he tried to hold onto the vestiges of sleep. 

Unfortunately, some otherworldly power was dead set on waking Blaine up that morning.

His phone started ringing on his nightstand next to him, the familiar ringtone piercing through his ears as he whined and tried to shut it out.

After a few seconds he sighed and reached for his phone, tapping at it a few times without looking and pressing the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” He mumbled, sniffing quietly and blinking his eyes open. 

“Blaine? Dude, you’re still asleep?” 

Blaine sighed when he heard Sam’s voice, sitting up in bed and throwing the covers off. 

“Yeah, Sam, it’s Sunday. What do you want?”

“Bro, it’s Sunday! I wanted to see if you wanted to get brunch. I already called Tina, she’s down.” 

Blaine huffed out an amused laugh as he walked to his bathroom. He and Tina had recently introduced Sam to the concept of ‘brunch’ and ever since, he’d been obsessed. 

“Um... yeah, I just need like, an hour to get ready.” Blaine cradled the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he squeezed some toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

“Dude, make it half an hour, I’ll pick you up.”

Before Blaine could protest, Sam had hung up the phone. He laughed and placed his phone face down on the counter before going about getting ready.

After their study session at Kurt’s yesterday, Blaine had driven to the mall and picked up a few of the hair products Kurt had recommended. When he closed his eyes, he thought he could still feel Kurt’s fingers running themselves gently through his hair. The very thought alone made Blaine huff out a quiet sigh, a shiver running down his neck and back. 

As he reached for the first pot of hair product Kurt had suggested, his phone vibrated. He rolled his eyes amusedly. It was probably a text from Sam about picking Tina up for brunch, or something equally as adorable and Sam-esque. 

Blaine picked up his phone and looked at the screen. There in front of him was not only a text from Sam, but also multiple texts from Kurt, all sent at 2 in the morning. Blaine raised his eyebrows as he opened Kurt’s text messages.

He huffed out a laugh at the typos and exclamation marks, a pleasant warmth filling his chest. Kurt was happy to be friends with him.

_ You don’t make me pretend. _

His fingers hovered over the keyboard as he thought out a response. What was one supposed to say to a bomb like that? Was it a good thing that Blaine didn’t make Kurt pretend? Pretend to be what? 

Blaine typed out a tentative reply, reading it over and over again before pressing send with sweaty hands and turning off his phone. He tried to ignore the way his hands trembled slightly as he went about the rest of his morning routine.

* * *

Half an hour later, Blaine stepped out of his house and saw Sam’s car dutifully parked outside, Tina already sitting in the passenger’s seat looking just as sleepy as he felt. 

He piled into the back of Sam’s car and put on his seatbelt, not noticing how Sam and Tina had both turned their heads to stare at him as he got himself situated. 

When Blaine, finally looked up, he locked eyes with Sam and Tina and he raised his eyebrows. 

“... What? Did I forget to put on pants this morning?” Blaine asked with a chuckle, though he was beginning to feel unnerved. 

Sam leaned forward just slightly before reaching out and touching Blaine’s hair.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” 

“What happened to your hair?!” Sam asked, ruffling it between his fingers. “It’s so soft and... not shiny!” 

Blaine smacked Sam’s hand away from his hair and ran his own fingers through it, trying to fix what Sam had messed up.

“I-I’m just trying something new, that’s all!” He said defensively, looking in Sam’s rearview mirror and checking to see if his hair looked okay. Tina hummed suspiciously. 

“Was this part of the little makeover Kurt’s giving you?” she asked, eyebrows raised incredulously. “You know I’m in full support of you two eventually getting married and living in a fabulous loft in New York together, but you shouldn’t have to change yourself to be with him, Bee.”

Blaine sighed and stopped fidgeting. 

“I-I’m not... I’m not changing myself  _ for _ him, he’s just... helping me. He doesn’t even know that I like him,” Blaine said as Sam began to pull out of the driveway, “not yet, anyway. And I’m not planning on telling him right now. I’m just working on... getting to know him, you know? And maybe letting him get to know me.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you man, but the ‘you’ that Kurt is getting to know has a crush on  _ me _ ,” Sam said as he drove, “do you think he’s still gonna be into you if he thinks you like someone else?”

Blaine looked down at his phone and scratched the back of his head, wondering if he should tell Sam and Tina about Kurt’s texts. They were his best friends... but he felt a strange loyalty to Kurt that he hadn’t felt before. Like Kurt had shared a secret with him that he was never supposed to utter out loud. Maybe just this once, he’d keep something for himself.

“I-I... the point of this was never to get Kurt to fall in love with me, okay?” Blaine said, staring out the window. “It’s gonna sound pathetic but I just... I wanna get to know him, you know? Maybe be his friend?”

It seems like he could use one.

Tina sighed and rested her chin on her back rest as she looked at Blaine. 

“That’s really sweet of you Blaine, but... do you think you could handle being  _ just _ friends with Kurt?” 

“If that’s all I can get then, yeah.” 

“I mean, maybe he’ll fall in love with you and try and win your love! Like all those dope rom-coms you guys made me watch,” Sam said, turning around to give Blaine an encouraging smile. “Just keep your chin up, man.”

Blaine smiled weakly at Sam before pushing his head gently so he would look back at the road.

Keep your chin up, indeed.

* * *

“Kurt.”

A groan.

“Kurt!”

Another groan.

Kurt felt a pillow smack his face and he groaned louder, rolling over to his side and burying his face into the blankets. 

“Get up. Britt wants pancakes to soothe her hangover and I need coffee,” Santana said, smacking the back of his head with the pillow once more. “Quinn is in the shower. Get up and get changed.” 

Kurt sighed and nestled into the blankets for a few more seconds before slowly sitting up, blinking away the sun that was in his eyes. 

“Wha’ time ‘sit?” 

“It’s 10,” Quinn said as she stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around her torso and her hair falling down her shoulders in damp blonde waves. Kurt rubbed his eyes as he watched Quinn rifle through her drawers for clothes and he chuckled softly. 

“All of this is completely wasted on me,” he said, yelping when Quinn threw a pair of underwear at him and ducking out of the way. He winced at the way it made the pounding in his head worse. “Why are we going  _ out _ ? Why can’t we just... make food here?”

“Because I don’t have any bacon and I want bacon,” Quinn said dryly, knocking back an advil with some water once she had gotten dressed. 

Kurt sighed and reluctantly got out of bed, walking to Quinn’s bathroom and quickly rinsing the sour taste out of his mouth with some of her mouthwash. He could barely remember anything that had happened the previous night. He remembered dancing... loud music, bright lights, the vague shape of a tall man who got much too close for comfort... 

Kurt shuddered at the memory and splashed some water on his face, frowning as he towelled himself dry. He’d have to do some heavy duty facial exfoliating when he got home. 

He walked back into the room and began unbuttoning Quinn’s dad’s shirt that she’d given to him to sleep in. 

“So, where are we getting brunch?” Kurt gave Quinn a thankful smile when she handed him an advil and gulped it down.

“We’re going to Sophie’s on 3rd,” Quinn said, tying her hair up into a half- updo. Despite her hangover, she still managed to look beautiful, a cloud of perfection surrounding her. 

Kurt nodded as he pulled on his pants from last night, his eyes scouring the room for any signs of his phone. 

“Have you guys seen my-”

“Text from Blaine Tutor,” Kurt heard Santana say from behind him, her voice patronising. “‘Are you okay, Kurt?’ Why the hell is Blanderson  _ texting you _ ?”

Kurt grabbed his phone from Santana before she could see anything else and looked at the notification, his heart pounding fast in his chest. 

“I-” Kurt looked at the girls who were staring at him, matching intimidating expressions on their faces. He suddenly forgot all the calmness and ease he’d felt just a second before. Back was the feeling of confinement, of pretending. “H-He’s just tutoring me in biology so I don’t get kicked off the squad.”

“Is a tutor just a smaller version of a teacher? ‘Cause when Blaine was tutoring me, he was pretty short,” Brittany said vacantly, playing with a strand of hair that fell out of her bun. Santana rolled her eyes at Brittany before taking a step toward Kurt.

“If he’s just tutoring you then why is he texting you asking if you’re ‘okay’? Are you guys hooking up or something?” Santana asked, scoffing. 

“What?! No! As-As if!” Kurt stammered, his grip on his phone tightening so much that his knuckles were turning white. “I mean... he wishes. He’s nothing, he’s just some nerd who’s doing me a favour.”

“That better be all it is,” Santana said, eyebrow arched and arms crossed. Kurt had never felt so small.

“That’s all it is,” Kurt said, a sick feeling rising up in his chest as he said the words he said next. “I don’t even like him. He’s kind of... annoying.” 

Santana was seemingly satisfied by Kurt’s answer and grabbed her purse, dropping her cellphone into it. 

“You just remember where you belong, Kurt,” Santana said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “You were nothing before us.” 

Kurt swallowed thickly and shoved his phone into his pocket quickly, tugging on his shirt from last night and tugging up his suspenders, more for something to do than for the actual function of it. 

They all finished getting ready and headed out to Quinn’s car, but amongst the casual chatter between the four of them, Kurt couldn’t fight the sinking feeling in his chest.

* * *

When Sam finished parking, he, Blaine, and Tina all got out of the car, still giggling about a funny, stupid movie reference Sam had brought up. Blaine sighed happily as he fell into step with his best friends, linking arms with Tina almost automatically.

“Where have you taken us this time, Sam?” Tina asked, squeezing Blaine’s arm tightly and linking her other arm in Sam’s. Sam grinned excitedly. 

“Okay, so I looked it up online and apparently this place has a sandwich where the bread is made of waffles.  _ Waffles!”  _ Sam said excitedly, barely containing the hop in his step. 

Blaine and Tina looked at each other with twin expressions of amusement at Sam’s enthusiasm. His adoration for brunch was something they had never expected but greatly loved. 

“What’s it called?” Blaine asked. 

“Sophie’s something cafe, I think,” Sam said, nodding towards it as the building came into view. “There it is!” 

Blaine hummed as they walked towards the entrance of the cafe. It had a retro 50s diner aesthetic to it, with neon signs and red leather booth seats. It looked fun, Blaine liked it already.

“Good pick, Sam,” Tina said, looking around the many decorations and posters hung up on the walls.

They all sat down and perused the menu. Blaine wasn’t sure who blew the first paper straw casing at his face but before he knew it, they were flying back and forth between the three of them and they were all giggling like children. 

Blaine sat back and smiled as he listened to Sam and Tina laugh and he couldn’t help the slow feeling of warmth that spread in his chest. Things were awful sometimes but... moments like these made them worth it. 

They all ordered their food (Sam ordering his waffle sandwich with a childlike excitement that amused even the grumpy waitress) and talked, Blaine and Sam listening attentively as Tina talked about a small fight she’d had with Mike over the weekend.

As Blaine listened, he snuck a peek at his phone, trying not to feel disappointed when he saw no new text messages on it. It was possible that Kurt was still asleep. 

Or, he could be ignoring Blaine’s message completely. 

Blaine sighed heavily and put his phone back in his pocket, tuning back into Tina’s story.

“Oh, my God, Blaine,” Tina said, her voice lowered to a dramatic whisper. Blaine felt the hairs on the back of his neck prick up.

“What? Is there a bug on me?” Blaine asked, tensing in his seat. 

“No! Guess who just walked in,” She said, her eyes still firmly affixed on the front door. 

Blaine and Sam both turned. When Blaine’s eyes landed on four  _ very _ familiar faces, he could feel the blood rushing out of his head.  _ Oh, God. _

He turned back around quickly, hoping that Quinn, Kurt, Santana, and Brittany wouldn’t notice them, or would ignore them if they did. 

* * *

Kurt lifted his sunglasses and rested them on the top of his quiff when he stepped into the diner with the girls. His face was schooled into his trademark look of superior boredom as he looked around the restaurant idly. 

A mousy waitress with too much foundation and a bad haircut showed them to a booth by a window and Kurt slid in next to Quinn, grabbing a menu. He could hear Santana and Brittany talking between themselves so he continued perusing the menu, even though he knew he was going to get what he always did. A diet coke and an egg white omelette with feta and spinach. 

“So, do you wanna talk about what happened this morning or no?” Quinn asked, not taking her eyes off of her menu. 

Kurt froze and looked up at Santana and Brittany to see if they heard. Their heads were still bowed close to one another so he breathed out quietly in relief.

“There’s nothing  _ to _ talk about, Q, I told you girls,” Kurt said lightly, reading and re-reading every single item on the drinks menu. “He’s just tutoring me, that’s it.”

“Mhm,” Quinn closed her menu and looked at Kurt, “sometimes you forget that I know you better than most people do, Kurt.” 

Kurt looked at her and swallowed thickly, his eyes flitting between her and the two girls sat across from them.

“Not here,” he hissed, snapping his menu shut quickly and putting it down on the table. 

Quinn hummed and smiled politely as the waitress came over to take their orders, effectively ending the conversation. 

Once they’d all ordered and put their menus away, Brittany started telling them a story about how she suspected Lord Tubbington was back on his meth addiction. Kurt tried to hide his laughs behind his hands. She looked so damn sincere. 

“Hey, Kurt, isn’t that your little boyfriend?” Santana asked, cutting Brittany off and nodding her chin at a table behind them. 

Kurt perked up, eyes wide as he turned around to see what Santana was looking at. Just behind them at a table by the jukebox were Blaine, Sam, and Tina. 

Blaine was looking down at the table intently, Sam leaning toward him and saying something to him quietly. Kurt felt a bitter taste settle in his mouth when he saw Sam sitting next to Blaine, his arm on the backrest of the booth as they talked. He turned back around quickly and sniffed, rolling his eyes. 

“He’s not my boyfriend, Santana,” Kurt shot back, looking at his hands and picking at a hangnail. “So what if he’s here? I couldn’t care less.”

Except he could. He cared very much. 

“Oh? You really don’t care?” Santana rested her chin in her palm and leaned forward, “so you wouldn’t mind going over there with us and giving Anderson one of your patent pending Hummel smackdowns?”

Kurt paled and swallowed, looking back at Blaine’s table. He and Blaine briefly made eye contact and he felt pained when he saw Blaine smile weakly. 

It was one thing to laugh and smile with Blaine behind closed doors, but it was another to do those same things in front of other people. 

He turned back around quickly and glared at Santana. 

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow. “If I do that and he tells Ms. Pillsbury or, god forbid, Sue, he would stop tutoring me and I’d get kicked off the squad. And then where would you guys be? You know you’d never be able to win another championship without me.”

“Okay, ladies, why don’t we all calm down?” Quinn responded calmly, shooting Santana a look and placing a hand on Kurt’s arm. “Santana, Blaine isn’t worth our time. Leave it. Kurt, you need to chill. We’re all friends here, right?”

Kurt sat back in his seat and crossed his arms, swallowing thickly and looking at Quinn before nodding minutely. 

“Now, Britt, you were saying? Why don’t you try... taking Lord Tubbington to rehab?” Quinn asked, shooting Kurt a look. 

As Santana diverted her attention back to Brittany, Kurt looked back at Quinn and mouthed ‘thank you’ to her, his stomach churning when she nodded and looked away from him. 

* * *

“Are you okay, Bee? You look like you’re gonna be sick,” Tina asked quietly, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. “We can leave.”

“But my waffle-wich-”

“Sam.”

Sam sighed and nodded, nudging Blaine lightly with his shoulder.

“If you really need to leave, we can leave,” Sam said, staring enviously at a family at another table who got their food before they did. 

Blaine shook his head and sighed, mustering up a smile. 

“No, you’re gonna get your waffle-wich. We’re not gonna leave just because they’re here,” Blaine said, taking a sip of his soda but keeping his eyes resolutely fixed on the red vinyl of the table. “Hopefully they’ll just ignore us.”

Tina turned and looked at the table where they sat, glaring at the back of Kurt’s head.

“This is ridiculous, Blaine, he shouldn’t be ashamed to be friends with you,” Tina exclaimed, “anyone would be lucky to have you in their lives!”

“Tina, lower your voice,” Blaine hissed, taking her hand in a panic. “It’s fine! I... I didn’t expect anything more. Not after last time.”

Sam placed a hand on Blaine’s shoulder and smiled encouragingly as Tina gave his hand a small, supportive squeeze. Blaine sighed and rolled his eyes at their affections but couldn’t help the small smile that grew on his face. 

With or without Kurt, Blaine still had the best friends a guy could ask for.

* * *

Once Quinn had dropped Santana and Brittany off at their houses, it was just her and Kurt in her car, listening to Quinn’s spotify playlist playing quietly over the speakers as she drove him home. 

“Can we get coffee or something? I... I don’t wanna go home yet,” Kurt asked quietly, rubbing at the space between his eyes. “I might still be hungover.”

Quinn hummed and nodded, turning the radio down just a bit. Kurt smiled at her gratefully as she wordlessly began driving them to the Lima Bean. 

Kurt took out his phone to text his dad and took a shaky breath in when he saw Blaine’s text notification from earlier, glaring at him and making him feel the slightest bit worse. He looked at it for a moment before opening it. 

**_From Blaine (tutor), 9:32am:  
_ ** _ Is everything okay, Kurt? _

He sucked on his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about what to text back. After what had happened at Sophie’s, just replying with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ seemed like too little. But an apology or an explanation felt like breaking their unspoken rules. 

“Are you thinking about what to text Blaine?” Quinn asked nonchalantly, her eyes still affixed on the road. 

Kurt’s head shot up and he looked at her, eyes wide. 

“How-”

“Just message him and say sorry for ignoring him and blame it on Santana or something. Everyone knows how she gets.” 

Slowly, Kurt looked back down at his phone and did what Quinn asked, nibbling on his lip the entire time. 

**_From Blaine (tutor), 9:32am:  
_ ** _ Is everything okay, Kurt? _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 11:58am:  
_ ** _ Hey, sorry about what happened. Santana can get a little aggressive.  _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 11:58am:  
_ ** _ Saw you with Sam though :) go you! _

Kurt sighed when he sent the messages and stared at them for longer than necessary before finally texting his dad, telling him that he’d be back in a few hours. When he finished, he put his phone in his pocket and looked over at Quinn as she parked the car a few streets down from the Lima Bean. 

“How did you know I was texting Blaine?” 

Quinn checked her make-up in the reflection of her rearview mirror, before turning to Kurt and raising her eyebrow.

“Weren’t you?” 

Kurt blushed and nodded. 

“C’mon. I’ll buy you a mocha and we can talk, okay? It seems like we have a lot to discuss,” Quinn said, patting Kurt’s forearm gently before getting out of the car. 

Kurt followed in suit and they walked into the Lima Bean together, the picture of elegance and high school royalty. 

Once their coffees were ordered and acquired, they found a cozy spot in the corner and settled in, Quinn sat with her legs daintily crossed as she sank into the overstuffed armchair, chai latte in her hands as she inhaled the steam. 

She was the picture of classic beauty in every regard, floating through the world as if she didn’t have a care. But Kurt wondered how many people knew just what that beautiful head had gone through. 

“So what’s going on, Kurt?” Quinn asked, tapping her perfectly manicured fingernails on the table. One of her eyebrows was perfectly arched, almost telling Kurt that she already  _ knew  _ what he was about to say. “Does it have anything to do with the fact that you lied about spending time with your dad this weekend?”

Kurt looked up from his cup, eyes wide. 

“You-”

“Finn told me that your dad took his mom out for dinner and a movie or something on Friday, which means you lied about not being able to come to girls’ night.” Quinn stated calmly, tapping her straw against the edge of her glass. 

Kurt froze in his seat, holding his breath. 

“Finn  _ also _ told me that his mom saw you at Northgate Saturday afternoon,” She continued, lifting her eyes from her drink to meet Kurt’s, “with Blaine Anderson.” 

Kurt looked up from his hands and swallowed thickly, his eyes widening. 

“H-He told you that?” 

Quinn nodded slowly. Kurt felt his heart start to race. 

“I... I’m just helping him with something. H-He asked me to give him a makeover and I said y-”

“Do you remember what freshman year was like, Kurt?” Quinn asked quietly. 

Kurt stopped at the interruption and scoffed.

“Of course I do. I’m still trying to get the smell of dumpster out of my Marc Jacobs jacket.” Kurt wrinkled his nose as he thought of how different his life had been just a year ago. Now, no one would dare to even look at him let alone throw him in a dumpster.

“Mhm, exactly. You were nobody before you joined the Cheerios,.” Quinn said. “Do you remember when I... gained all that weight? Suddenly I was off the squad and I’d lost basically everything.”

“Quinn, you didn’t gain weight, you were preg-”

“Don’t.” She said sharply, shooting Kurt a glare. Kurt thought he could spot a hint of sadness behind her eyes somewhere. Something that Quinn Fabray, HBIC of McKinley High, would never let anyone see. “I was a loser. Basically a social pariah. But then I lost the  _ weight _ and I got my position as team captain back.”

“What’s your point, Quinn?” Kurt asked, his stomach churning with guilt. 

Quinn sighed quietly and turned towards him, taking his hand. 

“My  _ point  _ is that I know how fleeting this popularity shit is. It can come and go so fast. It’s exhausting and restricting, I know, but... it’ll be worth it in the long run,” Quinn finished, letting go of Kurt’s hand. “High school sucks. You can’t afford to slip up even once, Kurt. Especially not for a boy.”

Kurt paused, his jaw clenched. 

“I... this... Blaine asked me for a favour, that’s it,” He mumbled, “you’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

Quinn raised an eyebrow and suddenly Kurt felt like a toddler who’d been caught stealing from the cookie jar. 

“If I’m making a big deal out of nothing, why did you ask me to come here, Kurt?” Quinn asked softly, “you wouldn’t have asked me for help if you didn’t feel something.”

Kurt fell silent. 

“I... It’s nothing,” Kurt said quietly, “I mean, it’s probably nothing. I was just doing his hair and it felt... nice.” 

Quinn sighed and smoothed down her skirt, shaking her head. 

“Kurt, you are going to meet millions of Blaine Andersons in your lifetime. You only get one shot at high school. Do you really wanna spend your last two years here picking limp lettuce out of your hair and cleaning red dye #4 out of your uniform?” 

Kurt pursed his lips as he thought about freshman year. The specific stench of rotting food that had been so hard to get out of his clothes and hair, the multitude of stained shirts and sweaters all covered in rainbow shades of food dye, the bruises on his shoulders he’d tried to hide from his dad whenever he clapped him on the back just a tad too hard. 

It had been brutal.

Kurt almost hadn’t survived it. 

“I just... it feels different with him,” Kurt said quietly, picking at the wooden stirrer on the table. “He doesn’t make me feel like I have to pretend to be someone I’m not, you know?” 

“I’m not telling you to stop being friends with him, Kurt, you can and  _ will _ do what you want,” Quinn said, looking at Kurt with more intensity and honesty in her eyes than he’d ever seen. “I’m just asking you to be careful.” 

Kurt hummed and took a slow sip of his mocha, averting his eyes to the ground. 

“Okay,” Kurt said quietly, “okay. I’ll be careful.” 

Quinn smiled at him and the matter was dropped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> glee really did quinn so dirty i want to rewrite her because i love her so much
> 
> I literally wouldn't have been able to finish this chapter without the help of my beautiful friend Aly (Blurglesmurfklaine) by my side and giving me the idea to write a Quinn and Kurt heart to heart at the beginning of this process!!
> 
> We're over halfway done!!! I hope you guys have been enjoying the journey as much as I have been!
> 
> thanks for your comments everyone! stay tuned xx
> 
> \- Brit


	9. Kids Again by Artist vs Poet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon, everyone! The song for today's chapter is Kids Again by Artist vs Poet and once you read the chapter, you'll realise why!!! 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33Uh8G37hqM

Three days had gone by without a text back from Blaine. 

It had been both delivered and read, but not replied to. Kurt tried not to think about how much that bothered him.

Kurt groaned quietly as he turned off his phone, slamming his locker door shut with too much force. 

The day hadn’t been easy. He’d gotten a biology pop quiz back and his grade had been less than promising. He should probably text Blaine again to ask about scheduling another tutoring session…

No, this was getting pathetic. If Blaine wasn’t going to text him back, then that was his problem. 

But still, Kurt couldn’t help the voice in the back of his head that asked _why_. Why hadn’t Blaine messaged him back? Was he ignoring him? Was he angry about that day at the diner?

But just as Kurt was walking down the hall towards the gym, he felt his phone vibrate. He tensed, his heart stopping in his chest. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, helpless against the way his spirits instantly lifted when he saw the familiar contact name on his home screen.

 **_From Blaine (Tutor), 3:10pm:  
_ ** _It’s fine._

Hm. A little less than Kurt was expecting after three days of non-communication but...it was something. 

**_From Kurt Hummel, 3:10pm:  
_ ** _Phew. I thought you were mad at me, haha_

 **_From Kurt Hummel, 3:10pm:  
_ ** _Did you wanna schedule another tutoring session? I got a pop quiz back last week and ms. Hagberg was rather brutally honest._

Kurt stopped outside the gym, staring down at his phone and biting his lip. He smiled distractedly at a few other cheerios as they brushed past him and walked into the gym, trying to look nonchalant when inside he was anything but. 

_God_ , he felt pathetic.

 **_From Blaine (Tutor), 3:12pm:  
_ ** _I’m sorry, Kurt, that sucks. Sure, let’s schedule another tutoring session._

 **_From Blaine (Tutor), 3:12pm:  
_ ** _Sorry I’ve been MIA by the way. My brother’s in town and he’s sort of hard to ignore._

Kurt raised his eyebrows. He remembered seeing a picture of Blaine’s family the first time he visited his house. He remembered seeing a tall, angsty looking teenager standing next to a six-year-old Blaine. 

“Kurt, hurry up.” Kurt looked up when he heard Brittany’s voice calling him from inside the gym. “If Coach Sue gets here before you, she’ll release puppet-Sue on you.” 

Kurt shuddered at the image of the miniature Jigsaw-esque puppet that Sue had constructed specifically to punish tardy cheerios. 

“Okay, just a second,” He replied before looking back down at his phone and sending Blaine another quick message. 

**_From Kurt Hummel, 3:13pm:  
_ ** _That’s totally understandable, don’t worry about it. Wanna meet at my place tomorrow night?_

 **_From Kurt Hummel, 3:13pm:  
_ ** _I’ve got practice until 5 but I can meet you afterwards_

“Kurt, c’mon!” 

At the sound of Brittany’s call, Kurt reluctantly turned off his phone and dropped it into his bag, walking into the gym, luckily just before Coach Sylvester.

* * *

“Who’re you texting?” 

Blaine sighed heavily as he sent Kurt a reply, leaning further back into the passenger’s seat. He could already feel the irritation building up in his temples.

“No one, just a… friend,” Blaine replied, turning his phone off and shoving it in his pocket as soon as Cooper glanced over. 

Even without looking at his brother, Blaine could picture the shit-eating grin on his face. Blaine sighed heavily and turned to look out the window.

“Keep your eyes on the road, Coop!” 

Cooper rolled his eyes but turned his attention back on to the road, barely missing a pedestrian jay-walking across the street as he started driving again. Whoops. 

“Tell me about this _friend_ , Blainey,” Cooper asked, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel in time to the pop song playing on the radio. “Is he a friend or a… _friend_?” 

Blaine rolled his eyes but blushed all the same, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably as it began to heat up from embarrassment. 

“He-he’s a friend- a regular friend, okay?” Blaine said, shutting his eyes and trying not to picture Kurt’s bright smile and stunningly clear blue eyes. There was a part of him that was still inexplicably upset about what had happened that day at the diner. A part of him that wanted Kurt to have walked up to his table and said hi. 

That part of him was _also_ the part that yelled at Blaine whenever he didn’t just profess his feelings for Kurt in song whenever they were alone together. 

Suffice to say, Blaine didn’t listen to that part of his brain much.

“What’s wrong with you, Squirt? You’re getting all pinched around the nose area. That’s how you get wrinkles early, you know.” 

Blaine rolled his eyes yet again (possibly setting a new record for himself) but relaxed his face anyway, peering out the window as Cooper drove.

Cooper pulled up outside some coffee shop Blaine had never seen before. The sign out front was just a neon drawing of a coffee cup, with letters underneath in a font Blaine couldn’t read.

“Where are we? Why couldn’t we have gone to the Lima Bean?” Blaine asked, unbuckling his seatbelt and peering out at the customers who were sat outside sipping coffees and looking pretentious. 

Cooper simply shook his head. “Blaine, Blaine, Blaine. You obviously don’t know a thing about trends. This place is new and all the rage,” Cooper exclaimed, unbuckling his own seatbelt and opening his door. “It’s the best coffee in Ohio.”

“Which blog told you that?”

“ _Yelp_ ,” Cooper said, waving him off as he began walking towards the entrance, not even waiting for Blaine who had just gotten out of the car himself.

Blaine jogged lightly to catch up with him and shot Cooper an annoyed look which went completely unnoticed. 

They stepped into the coffee shop and Blaine wrinkled his nose. The exposed concrete floor and the darkly painted walls made Blaine feel like he was in a factory, instead of a cafe. All around there were small tables paired with uncomfortable-looking black stools in the shapes of hourglasses, each one with a hipster perched carefully on top, typing away at macbooks of every shape and size. 

It made Blaine miss the simplicity of the Lima Bean (even if he was pretty sure he’d seen a rat there once).

“Order whatever you want, Blainey, your treat,” Cooper said, running his fingers through his hair and throwing a wink towards the barista who blushed. 

Blaine sighed and walked towards the counter, smiling politely at the barista who was too busy staring at Cooper to notice. 

“Hi, can I get a medium drip coffee please?” Blaine asked, pulling out his wallet and turning to Cooper. “What do you want?”

“Um, actually sir, we don’t do _mediums_ ,” the barista butted in, a disappointed look on her face as she turned away from Cooper to look at Blaine, “we only have twin, queen, and king sizes.”

“Wh...which one is medium then?”

Cooper rolled his eyes and walked over, slinging an easy arm around his brother’s shoulders and tossing a charming smile towards the barista. 

“I apologise for my brother, he doesn’t go to artisanal coffee shops that often,” Cooper said smoothly, grabbing Blaine’s wallet from him and pulling out a $20 bill. “He’ll have a queen drip and I’ll have a king iced white mocha with almond milk, no whip.” 

The barista punched their orders into the computer and printed out their receipt, smiling prettily at Cooper the entire time, completely ignoring Blaine’s existence. Typical. 

They eventually got their coffees and sat down at a small table with two chairs shaped like a fork and a spoon, Blaine settling into the chair uncomfortably, holding a coffee that was twice as small as the regular mediums at the Lima Bean and frowning at it. 

“I really love being back in the midwest,” Cooper said after taking a sip of his coffee, looking out the window at the people walking by. “It’s really grounding, you know? Sometimes, living in the big city, you don’t get quiet days like this.” 

Blaine rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee, swilling it around in his mouth before swallowing, nose scrunching at the burnt taste. 

“Can I ask you something?” Blaine asked suddenly, staring down into the dark liquid in his cup.

“Is it about those cropped pants you’re wearing? Because I told you last time I visited, cropped pants make short guys look shorter,” Cooper said, missing the way Blaine’s face dropped into an incredulous stare. 

“ _No_ , it’s not about my clothes. My clothes are fine,” Blaine replied indignantly, “it’s about… a _guy_.” 

Cooper turned his attention away from the window to Blaine, raising his eyebrows. 

“A guy, huh?” Cooper asked, stirring his drink slowly. “What is it?”

Blaine hesitated before putting his coffee down on the table. 

“There’s this guy that I like and I just… I don’t know if it’s hopeless for me to be into him since he’s kind of popular and I’m _not_ , and I… I mean I _really_ like him,” Blaine said quickly, staring down at the table. “I don’t know if he likes me back but he _thinks_ I’m in love with someone else and I-”

“Blaine,” Cooper interrupted, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. One of his favourite _advice-giving_ poses. “Now, I may not be a gay guy, but I’ve been asked out by a few back in L.A. and I’d like to consider myself something of an expert. Lemme tell you, don’t waste your time with Ohio boys.” 

“Coop-”

“I’m serious, Blainey!” Cooper exclaimed, “you’re graduating next year, moving to New York, _maybe_ L.A. if I can convince you to come with me. You’re barely gonna remember some small-town kid from high school who you made moony eyes at for a couple months when you were 16.” 

Blaine pursed his lips, drumming his fingers on his knee as he thought about what Cooper was saying. “I don’t think that’s _exactly_ true, I mean…”

“It is,” Cooper replied, taking a sip of his coffee before looking Blaine intensely in the eye. “You remember when I was 18 and you were 8? Two years after dad and Pam got married?”

Blaine nodded slowly. 

“I had a girlfriend around then. Actually took her to the wedding.” Cooper looked off into the distance as he reminisced. “But then we graduated and we both moved on. She’s doing great in Pittsburgh with her husband and _I_ am free to date whomsoever I please in L.A. I’m telling you, you won’t even remember this guy in 3 years.”

Blaine sighed and picked up his coffee, taking another sip as he idly listened to Cooper prattle on and eventually change the subject to a commercial he’d maybe, probably, _definitely_ booked. He wasn’t even sure anymore. Cooper’s words began fading into the background as Blaine stared out the window.

All he could think about was Kurt, and how Cooper’s words felt wrong circling in his mind.

* * *

Kurt paced around his room anxiously as he waited for Blaine to arrive. They’d agreed to meet at Kurt’s house after practice, lest anyone from the cheerios see them leaving school together. It was a little after 5:30pm now and Kurt had spent 15 minutes cleaning up and making sure his room was in perfect shape for company. 

He didn’t know why he cared so much, after all, it was just Blaine. Or maybe he did know and just didn’t want to admit it to himself. 

Either way, Kurt’s room was in tip-top shape and he’d even made the effort to change out of his cheerleading uniform and change into regular (more fashionable) clothes. 

The doorbell shook him out of his nervous state and he took a breath, straightening out his shirt before running up the steps and to the front door. 

Burt watched from where he was sat in his recliner, nursing a beer and watching something on the TV. 

“Why do you look so nice?” he asked, leaning forward in his chair and narrowing his eyes at Kurt. “I thought you just invited a friend over to study.”

Kurt sighed and turned to his dad, one hand on the doorknob and the other on his hip. “Every moment is an opportunity for fashion, dad.” 

He turned back around and took a quick breath before opening the door and smiling brightly. Blaine stood on the other side, hands in his pockets. 

“Blaine! Hey,” Kurt said with a smile, opening the door wider and inviting Blaine inside. 

“Thanks. How was practice?” Blaine asked, stepping into the house and taking off his shoes. He placed them carefully on the rack. Kurt almost swooned.

“It was fine. Tiring, as usual,” Kurt said with a quiet, nervous smile. 

Blaine gave him an apologetic smile in response. 

They both stood there, smiling for a moment, before Kurt started to feel a bit ridiculous. He cleared his throat. “So, uh--”

“Hello,” said a very deliberate voice from behind them. 

Kurt froze. 

“Kurt,” Burt said, friendliness in his face but authoritativeness in his voice, “aren’t you gonna introduce me to your--” he cleared his throat, and Kurt’s face burned-- “friend?” 

Blaine’s eyebrows slowly climbed his forehead, features softening.

Kurt let out a theatrical laugh that was perhaps too loud. 

“Sorry, yes, Dad,” Kurt said, maintaining his composure through sheer force of will, “this is Blaine. He’s been tutoring me in Biology.” 

Blaine smiled. Kurt tried not to let his heart flutter, because the smile was aimed at his _dad_ , but it was a very charming smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hummel.”

“Biology, huh? Better you than me,” Burt said with a friendly laugh, holding out his hand for Blaine to shake. Blaine took the cue and shook his hand firmly. “Are you and Kurt in the same grade?”

Blaine nodded before he heard the sound of cheering coming from the television.

“Are you watching the Ohio State versus Michigan game?” Blaine asked, glancing at the TV.

Burt raised his eyebrows and looked at Kurt who shrugged. 

“Yeah, I am. You a football fan, Blaine?” Burt asked. Blaine gave him a small smile in return. 

“My stepdad and I like to watch the game together sometimes. I’m a big Buckeyes fan,” Blaine replied, not noticing the way Kurt was watching their interaction with rapt attention. 

Burt let out a quiet laugh of disbelief. 

“I like this kid, Kurt,” Burt said, patting his son on the shoulder lightly before returning to his recliner. “Feel free to come visit anytime, maybe we can watch a game together.”

Blaine laughed quietly and looked over at Kurt only to find that he was already looking at him, eyes wide with shock and mouth slightly open. Blaine felt heat rush to his cheeks.

“Um… okay, Dad,” Kurt replied, letting out an awkward laugh. “So, Blaine… do you wanna study downstairs?”

“Sure,” Blaine said, gesturing for Kurt to go in front of him before giving Kurt’s dad a quick wave, “it was really nice to meet you, Mr. Hummel!” 

Burt waved back, an amused smile on his face. He had a feeling he’d be seeing a lot more of this kid in the future. 

* * *

They walked down the stairs to Kurt’s room together in silence, neither knowing exactly what to say. Should they address what had happened at the diner? Move on? There wasn’t exactly a handbook for _How to talk to the guy you think you might have a crush on but can’t date because of stupid High School Hierarchies_ , after all. 

They entered Kurt’s room together and Blaine placed his bag on the floor by the bed, pulling out a biology textbook and his notebook. He cleared his throat awkwardly and hugged his notebook to his chest.

“So…” 

Kurt looked over at Blaine, eyes wide. Was _he_ going to bring it up?

“Do you wanna show me the test you got back from Ms. Hagberg?” 

Apparently not. Kurt sighed and nodded, walking to his desk and pulling a crumpled bit of paper out from a drawer, handing it to Blaine. His cheeks were flushed in embarrassment as he watched Blaine uncrumple the paper and read it, his eyes scanning over his sloppily written answers. 

God, he felt so _stupid_ . Blaine probably thought he _was_ stupid.

“62% isn’t that bad,” he said suddenly, eyes locked on the paper. 

Kurt looked at him incredulously. 

“Do you not see the big fat ‘D-’ written at the top, Blaine?” Kurt asked, sitting on his bed and crossing his legs. “I’m pretty sure that’s a fail.”

Blaine gave him a sympathetic smile and sat next to him, the test still in his hand. 

“Look, it’s not _great_ but it’s fixable! Your answers are logical, they’re just not detailed enough.” He scooched closer to Kurt, who held his breath, trying not to notice the warmth emanating off of Blaine’s body. “See here? ‘Describe the way chromosomes promote genetic variation’, that’s a 3-mark question but you only wrote one point. That’s why you got one mark instead of three.”

Kurt looked at the paper, worrying his lip between his teeth. 

“So… I needed to write three points about… genetic variation?” Kurt asked, looking at Blaine who returned his question with a dazzling grin. 

“Exactly!” Blaine said, flipping to the second page of Kurt’s test. “And you actually got a lot of questions right about plant biology, which is pretty difficult. I’m impressed, Kurt.”

Kurt blushed, trying to ignore how _good_ Blaine’s approval felt. He had to get it together. 

“Thanks,” he replied, taking the test from Blaine and reading through a few of his answers. “I have a really hard time with these kinds of things. There’s just so much memorization and then once I think I’ve remembered one thing, I forget something else and then I--”

“Kurt.” 

Kurt stopped talking instantly, turning to face Blaine, whose eyes were shining with amusement. 

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” he said quietly, tentatively placing a hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “I get it.” 

They both stilled. The warmth from Blaine’s hand was seeping through the fabric of Kurt’s shirt, almost reaching his core. It felt… nice. 

Kurt let himself savour the emotion before sighing and reaching behind him for Blaine’s textbook, effectively breaking the moment between them. 

“Maybe we should focus on genetic biology for now? I have a test next week that I should probably prepare for,” Kurt said, flipping through Blaine’s textbook and smiling at the little doodles in the corners of the pages. He missed the way Blaine’s eyes lingered slightly on his face as he smiled.

* * *

Kurt let out a slow breath and lay back on his bed, closing his eyes and letting the textbook flop shut in his lap. 

They’d been studying together for a little over two hours and Kurt’s head was starting to hurt from all the new information he was absorbing. 

“Ugh, I need a break” Kurt grumbled, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. He heard Blaine huff out a quiet laugh. 

He opened his eyes just in time to see Blaine stretch out his arms, his joints popping after sitting still for so long. Kurt sucked his lips into his mouth as he watched Blaine’s arms extend above his head, the muscles in his biceps coming out as if to say _hello_ . Had Blaine _always_ been so built?

Kurt cleared his throat and sat back up, fixing his hair. 

“I think a break is well-deserved,” Blaine said, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling at Kurt. “Are you okay? Your face is kind of red.” 

Kurt’s hand shot up to cradle his cheek, feeling the warmth radiating off of it and onto his cool hand. 

“Oh! Um… Yeah, I’m fine, just… hungry.” Kurt nibbled on his bottom lip and looked at the clock. It was around 7 and Kurt hadn’t eaten since lunch. 

Blaine hummed and closed his notebook. 

“I’m a little hungry too,” Blaine hesitated, “do you wanna go get a bite to eat?”

Alarms immediately started flashing in Kurt’s head. _Don’t go anywhere you’ll get caught. Don’t risk anyone seeing you together. Don’t be stupid._ Kurt ignored them all. 

“Sure,” Kurt said with a smile, standing up off his bed and stretching his legs. “I’m kind of craving a burger though… would you mind just finding a drive-thru somewhere?” 

“That sounds good.” Blaine took his books and put them in his satchel. “I can drive and just drop you off back home after.” 

As they both got their things and got ready to go, Kurt couldn’t deny the voice in the back of his head that wondered why this felt so much like a date. 

* * *

“Blaine, where are we going?” Kurt asked, his hands around the bag of food in his lap, soaking up its warmth as he looked out the window. All he could see around him was trees and grass. “Have you been hiding your secret murder-y side from me this whole time?” 

“No,” Blaine said with a laugh, “though if I was, I wouldn’t _tell_ you. I’m just driving us out to somewhere secluded. We don’t wanna risk anyone seeing us together after all.”

Ouch. Kurt fell silent and looked ahead at the road in front of him.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that,” Blaine said after a moment of silence, “I just know… I know how important your reputation is to you.” 

As he said that, he pulled into a dark parking lot, lit orange by the streetlamps overhead. 

“Where are we?” Kurt asked, opening the car door and looking around. Something about the trees and the lake glistening in the moonlight felt… oddly familiar.

Blaine smiled as he shut his own car door, locking it behind him and taking a deep breath. 

“This is just a place I like to go sometimes. It’s nice, quiet,” Blaine said, looking out at the water. “I came here for a school camping trip in third grade and I was driving around a few years ago and found it again. Thought it was peaceful.”

Kurt hummed and followed Blaine as he walked to the dock where a landing stood about six feet above the water. He had vague memories of holding another boy’s hand and jumping off this exact landing, into the icy water below them. That’s when it clicked.

“Oh! I think I actually came here with my school too,” Kurt said, looking around and sitting down next to Blaine on the landing, letting his feet dangle above the water. “We were on a trip or something and my camp counsellor was trying to convince me to jump off this dock into the water.” 

Blaine laughed quietly and took a sip of his soda. 

“Yeah? Did you?” he asked, turning to Kurt who was busy looking down at the water below them.

Kurt sighed and kicked his feet lightly, watching and counting the ripples in the water he could see. 

“I didn’t want to, at first. I was a lot smaller than the other boys in my class so it seemed a lot _higher_ than it actually was. I was petrified,” Kurt said, frowning at the memory. He could almost hear the ghosts of his classmates’ laughter in the back of his mind. “All the other boys were laughing at me or telling me to hurry up so that they could have their turn but I just… couldn’t jump off.”

“What happened then?”

Kurt looked at Blaine who was looking at him with a strangely intense look in his eyes. He blushed under the weight of it. 

“A boy from another class ran over to where I was. I remember hearing his teacher and counsellors yelling for him to come back but he ignored them and ran over to _me_ ,” Kurt replied, unable to fight the smile that grew on his face at the memory of dark hair and a bright, encouraging smile. “He took my hand and I looked at him and I just… I felt like everything kind of fell away and it was just me and him. And he told me-”

“‘If you can’t be brave right now, I can be brave enough for the both of us.’” 

The words left Blaine’s lips in a voice just above a whisper, but it was enough to shock Kurt out of reminiscence. He turned his head sharply to face Blaine, eyes wide. 

“What did you say?”

“If… if you can’t be brave right now, I can be brave enough for the both of us,” Blaine repeated, voice shaky. Kurt noted how the white moonlight made Blaine’s eyes look even greener than usual. “It was me.” 

Kurt froze, wondering if Blaine could hear his heart thumping in his chest. 

Because Blaine was sitting _right there_ with that soft smile on his face that Kurt couldn’t resist, looking so kind and like _home_ , and his eyes were shining with warmth that filled Kurt’s body like hot chocolate on a snowy day. Without fully realizing what he was doing, he started to lean in… 

“Hey! This is a private property, you kids aren’t allowed to be here!”

A loud voice and a beam from a flashlight startled Kurt. He backed away abruptly, leaving Blaine sat in the same position as before, dazed and blinking in the sudden light. 

“I- s-sorry, sir!” Kurt called back, scrambling to stand up. 

Blaine slowly got up as well, mustering up a small smile and waving at the security guard who grumbled, standing there with his arms crossed.

The two of them walked to Blaine’s car, under the dutiful gaze of the disgruntled campground security guard, neither of them saying a word. Kurt contemplated saying something but his voice was caught in his throat. He’d quite possibly ruined their entire budding friendship before it even got the chance to start growing. 

There was also the added _Sam_ factor. God, Kurt had completely forgotten about that. What if Blaine was disgusted by what had just happened, and _that’s_ why he wasn’t saying anything? Or maybe he hadn’t even noticed. Maybe Kurt was worrying over nothing, it had only been a split second after all. 

As Blaine pulled into Kurt’s driveway, Kurt wiped his sweaty palms on his thighs and turned to Blaine who was picking at a scratch on his steering wheel. 

“Um… thanks for driving me home,” Kurt said quietly, turning to Blaine and mustering up a small smile, “and for helping me with that test.” 

Blaine smiled and for the first time since they’d left the lake, looked at Kurt. He had a small smile on his lips but his body was stiff, as if not allowing himself to move past the imaginary barrier created by the car’s gear stick. 

“No problem, Kurt.” 

Blaine’s voice was quiet. Kurt thought that if he hadn’t been focusing on it, he wouldn’t have been able to hear it. 

He contemplated saying something else. Mentioning what had happened. Or what had _almost_ happened. But Kurt wasn’t feeling particularly brave anymore.

So instead, he got out of Blaine’s car and rushed into the house, not bothering to look back to see if Blaine had left his driveway yet. As he closed the door behind him, he leaned against it, running a hand down his face and sighing heavily. 

What on earth had just happened?

What Kurt didn’t know was that Blaine was sat in his car just outside, his forehead pressed to his steering wheel, wondering exactly the same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHH what just happened??? :OOOOO 
> 
> Thanks for tuning in, friends! Only 6 more chapters to go!!!! Your comments have been so lovely to read <3
> 
> \- Brit xx


	10. Shut Up and Kiss Me by Marianas Trench

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is doing well! The song for today's chapter is Shut Up and Kiss Me by Marianas Trench! Happy reading x
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CodDPtokphs

Blaine’s head was swimming as he drove home that night, the scent of Kurt’s cologne still lightly lingering in his car. 

They’d almost kissed… right? That’s what that was? Kurt had leaned in… or had Blaine leaned in first? Blaine wondered what would have happened had that security guard not interrupted them. Would they have kissed? Or would Kurt have stopped, caught himself, remembered who he was? Who  _ Blaine  _ was?

Blaine breathed in shakily as he tried to recount what had happened, how beautiful Kurt had looked, sitting next to him on that dimly lit dock, talking about  _ him _ . 

He still remembered that day so vividly, seeing a boy looking so scared and small, thinking about how he just had to help. He’d ran to the dock as fast as his little legs would take him, the yelling voices seeming to fade into the distance. 

The rest of the night after Blaine got home was spent drifting around his house and getting ready for bed on autopilot, his mind replaying the scene from earlier over and over again until his temples were pounding. He wasn’t sure what he was  _ supposed  _ to feel, but he knew that what he did feel was confusion. 

Blaine got into bed and rolled onto his side, grabbing his phone and opening his texts with Kurt. He tried not to feel disappointed that Kurt hadn’t sent him anything. Blaine didn’t know what he’d expected. An explanation? A confession?

He let out a groan and ran his fingers through his hair before tossing the phone on to his nightstand, turning away onto his side. He blinked in the darkness of his room and stared straight ahead at his closet door. 

He hadn’t tried out any of the new clothes Kurt had gotten him yet, because… well, because he was afraid to. Calling attention to himself had never benefited him in the past and Blaine simply couldn’t see it going well in the future. 

Maybe now wasn’t the time to be afraid, though. Not after what had just happened on the dock. 

So, with his alarm set and a plan now fully intact in his mind, Blaine closed his eyes and let himself drift to sleep.

* * *

Blaine groaned as his alarm blared 30 minutes earlier than usual, effectively waking him from a dreamless sleep. 

As he rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed, he remembered the plan he’d constructed for himself last night, nibbling on his lower lip. There was no turning back now. 

He stumbled to the bathroom and rifled through his medicine cabinet, looking for the contact lenses that he usually saved for performances and special occasions. He took out the container and sighed.

49 minutes and a lot of tears later, Blaine was fully dressed and observing himself in the mirror, putting his hands in the pockets of the ripped jeans Kurt had bought him. They weren’t as tight-fitting as his pants normally were, but they fit well. Blaine just didn’t know how to feel about his exposed knees. 

He sighed before grabbing his messenger bag and running down the stairs, texting Sam on the way down to tell him he was going to pick up coffee on the way to school. 

As he walked into the kitchen to grab his water bottle, he stopped in his tracks when he saw his mother sitting in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in front of her, reading something on her phone.

“Mom?” Blaine asked, eyebrows raised. “I thought you and Paul weren’t gonna be back until next week.” 

Pam looked up at the sound of her son’s voice and she smiled sleepily at him. 

“Oh, we got in last night, but you were out,” she said, furrowing her eyebrows at him. “You look different, honey-bee.”

Blaine shrugged and gave her a half-hearted smile as she walked towards him, tightening her robe around her small form.

“I’m just trying something new, I guess,” Blaine said.

Pam placed a gentle hand on her son’s cheek. “You’re not wearing your glasses.” Pam’s eyes moved upward to his hair and she raised her eyebrows. “And your hair is…”

“Is it bad?” he asked, lifting a hand to run his fingers through it gently. Pam gave him a small smile. 

“It’s not bad, baby, you look so handsome… you just look different.” Pam sighed and stepped away, slipping one hand in the pocket of her robe, shaking her head. “I wish I didn’t have to be away so much. You’re growing up right in front of me and I’m missing it.” 

Blaine shuffled uncomfortably but reached out, taking his mother’s hand and squeezing it. 

“I’ve missed you a lot too, but you have to work, I get that,” he said gently. 

“I do, but nothing is more important to me than you and Cooper,” Pam said firmly. “Oh! You, me, Paul, and Cooper are gonna have family dinner tonight. I’ve given Lynn the day off.” 

“Um…” Blaine thought about how he’d rather pull his own teeth out than have to deal with Cooper again for a whole night. “That sounds great, Mom.”

“Good,” Pam took another look at Blaine, her eyes looking down at the rips in his jeans. “Honey, if you need pants, we can get you new pants.” 

Blaine laughed and kissed his mom quickly on the cheek before grabbing his water bottle and walking to the door.

“I’ll see you at dinner tonight,” Blaine called, waving goodbye to his mother.

* * *

Blaine parked his car and breathed out slowly, drumming his fingers against his steering wheel as he stared out at the students milling around the parking lot. He pulled his phone out from his bag and bit his lip.

**_From Sam Evans, 7:43am:  
_ ** _ Hey where u at _

**_From Sam Evans, 7:45am:  
_ ** _ r u ok ur usually here before us  _

**_From Sam Evans, 7:50am:  
_ ** _ we’re at t’s locker btw _

**_From Blaine Anderson, 7:54am:  
_ ** _ Sorry, I was driving!! I’ll come to Tina’s locker now _

**_From Blaine Anderson, 7:54am:  
_ ** _ I have coffees for you guys haha _

**_From Sam Evans, 7:55am:  
_ ** _ :D:D:D:D:D:D  _

Blaine chuckled at his phone and let out another breath before grabbing his bag and the cup holder filled with coffee cups. 

When Blaine got out of his car, the world didn’t stop. There wasn’t an audible gasp that filled the air. Not really, at least. Instead, nothing really happened. He looked towards the side of the school where the Cheerios usually parked their cars, fighting disappointment when he saw Kurt hadn’t arrived yet. 

God, what would even happen when Blaine saw Kurt? What if he ignored him  _ again _ ?

Blaine sighed and resolved to cross that bridge when he got to it, instead choosing to focus on the walk to Tina’s locker. 

He kept his head up as he walked, staunchly avoiding anyone’s eye as he tried to get to Tina’s locker as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

When he saw his two best friends, the tension in his shoulders dropped and he allowed himself to smile, quickening his pace and coming behind Tina, squeezing her elbow gently.

“Hey, guys,” Blaine said, a relieved smile on his face. “Sorry, I had kind of a late start this morning. My mom got back from her business trip last night and was having a moment.”

Sam and Tina both turned to Blaine with twin expressions of shock on their faces, it was almost comical. Blaine blushed and cleared his throat, extending his arm and offering them the coffees still in his hand. 

“Guys?” Blaine said tentatively. 

“Oh, my God, Bee… you look so good!” Tina said enthusiastically, grabbing his free arm and jumping up excitedly. “Wow, you look so different.”

Blaine wrinkled his nose at her.

“Are you saying I don’t look good on a regular basis?” He asked jokingly, smiling at her when she rolled her eyes and took an iced coffee out of the cup holder he was holding. He turned to face Sam and backed up a bit. Sam was staring at him closely, eyebrows furrowed and a frown on his face.

“Dude… you don’t look like yourself.” Sam looked down at the clothes Blaine was wearing as he reached for his own drink, “you look like me, but… littler.”

Blaine rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. 

“I… these are the clothes that Kurt got me,” He mumbled, pulling lightly at the hem of his shirt. “I decided to try something new.”

Sam hummed and took a sip of his hot chocolate. 

“Did you tell him that you’re not actually in love with me and that you’re in love with him yet?” 

Blaine stared at Sam incredulously and shuffled on his feet. 

“I hadn’t gotten around to that yet but… I’m planning on it,” Blaine said, rolling his sleeves up nervously. “I just haven’t seen him since last night.”

“Stop ruining his fun, Sam,” Tina said, nudging him gently before turning back to Blaine and taking his arm in hers. “I bet he’s gonna see how  _ hot _ you look and then he’s gonna express his undying love for you on the spot, Bee.”

Blaine rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the blush that settled on his cheeks as he imagined that scenario happening. As he fell into step with Tina and Sam, he bit his lip, wondering exactly what would happen when he saw Kurt. 

* * *

The first thing Kurt saw when he walked into school was Sam Evans, hanging out with Tina and another boy who Kurt couldn’t recognise from the back. Kurt  _ wanted  _ to just walk straight past them without acknowledging them and ignore the guilt and jealousy bubbling in his chest… but then the boy facing away from Kurt turned slightly, making him stop in his tracks. 

It was Blaine, wearing the jeans Kurt had bought for him with rips on the knees and thighs that made him wonder what Blaine’s legs would look like in shorts. 

The lightweight sweater he had on looked soft and clung deliciously to his chest and arms. Kurt felt an ache in his chest as he imagined curling up next to Blaine and rubbing his cheek against his soft shoulder. 

And yet, there was still something missing. It was almost as though Blaine was wearing a costume and playing a part. 

Kurt found himself missing the old Blaine with his loud colours and adorable bow-ties. 

He stood there watching them for maybe a second too long and saw Tina and Blaine link arms and begin to walk to class, Sam walking with them, his shoulder brushing against Blaine. The tiny touch stole the breath from Kurt’s lungs and he swallowed thickly, tightening his grip on his gym bag before continuing his walk to class. 

After Kurt’s disastrous lapse of judgement last night, Blaine had obviously doubled in his efforts to go after Sam. That was who he  _ really _ wanted, after all. Sam. 

Not Kurt.

* * *

So… Kurt was definitely avoiding him. Blaine tried not to think about it as he poked at his meager portion of mac and cheese that looked more like drywall than anything else. Blaine had tried and failed to catch Kurt’s eye multiple different times today, but he seemed dead set on pretending that Blaine didn’t even exist. 

Although, Blaine found it interesting that whenever he looked over at Kurt, Kurt would turn his head almost as if he had been looking in Blaine’s direction the entire time. 

Blaine looked in the direction of Kurt’s table and ducked his head when he caught Karofsky’s eye, staring down at his tray instead. It seemed that he’d caught  _ someone’s  _ attention, just not Kurt’s. 

“You okay, Bee?” Tina asked, pausing her conversation with Mike to glance over. Blaine gave her a weak smile. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said with a sigh, standing up. “I’m gonna go to the choir room though. I wanna try some stuff out for Mr. Schue’s assignment for this week.” 

They all collectively said their goodbyes to Blaine who waved with a forced smile and left the cafeteria, rubbing the back of his head. 

As he began walking to the choir room, Blaine felt a harsh shove against his shoulder. His shoulder and back smashed into a row of lockers, throwing his head back to clang against the metal door. Blaine winced, the back of his head throbbing.

When Blaine blinked open his eyes, he saw Karofsky, standing in front of him in the empty hallway, looking angrier than Blaine had ever seen him. His heart was pounding so fast in his chest, he could hear it in his ears. 

Or maybe that was just the fact that he’d slammed his head against a locker. 

“Wh-what do you want, Karofsky?” Blaine asked, unable to keep the tremble from his voice. 

Karofsky huffed angrily and fisted a hand in Blaine’s shirt. “You think you’re hot shit now or something?” Karofsky asked through gritted teeth. “Just ‘cause you dress different doesn’t mean you’re not still the same _fag_ you always were.”

Blaine swallowed thickly. He could smell the sweat and insecurity pouring off of Karofsky in droves.

“What exactly is your problem with me anyway?” Blaine asked, raising his gaze to look into Karofsky’s eyes. “You don’t like people who are different from you, is that it? What, are you  _ scared _ of me? Of people like me?” 

“Shut the hell up, Anderson!” Karofsky growled. He pushed Blaine back further and Blaine winced, feeling one of the locks digging into his back. 

Blaine clenched his jaw and breathed in shakily. “People like you are just cowards who don’t like change,” Blaine said with startling calmness, though he was shaking down to his bones. “I’m not gonna change no matter how many times you hit me.” 

Blaine saw Karofsky lift a fist and pull it back and he closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact. 

“Hey!” 

Blaine opened his eyes and turned his head when he heard a familiar voice calling out from down the hall. He felt Karofsky’s grip on his shirt weaken and he managed to pull himself away, distancing the two of them and catching his breath. Karofsky was looking down the hall, his fist lowering to his side.

Kurt was storming towards them. The look on his face was enough to deter an entire army of soldiers. Blaine didn’t know whether it was attractive or scary. 

For now, he’d settle on both.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Karofsky?” Kurt asked, pausing in front of them with his hand on his hip. Blaine thought he saw Karofsky’s Adam’s apple bob nervously. 

“I… what, are you friends with this loser now?” Karofsky asked. 

Kurt rolled his eyes. “He’s off limits,” Kurt said, his eyes flitting between Karofsky and Blaine quickly. “If I see you or any of your neanderthal friends bothering him again, I won’t even bother telling Figgins, I’m going  _ straight  _ to Sue.”

Karofsky paled at the implication but huffed, pulling his letterman jacket tighter around his body before mumbling a quiet ‘whatever’ and shuffling off. Blaine let out a long breath and sank to the floor with his head in his hands, all his energy draining out of him. 

“Are you okay?” 

Blaine looked up and saw Kurt hovering just a few feet away from him. He’d almost forgotten that Kurt was there. 

“I’m good. My head hurts a little bit but I have Advil in my bag,” Blaine said quietly, resting his elbows on his knees. 

Silence hung between them for a few beats. Blaine wondered if Kurt was struggling for words just like he was. 

“I… uh… thanks for…” _ for saving me  _ again _. _ “...that.” 

Kurt shrugged before taking a slight step closer, awkwardly reaching out to help Blaine stand back up. 

“It’s… you shouldn’t have to thank me,” Kurt replied, nibbling on his lip as he let go of Blaine’s arm almost reluctantly. “I’m sorry that happened. I saw Karofsky leave just after you did and I got worried.”

A weak smile grew on Blaine’s face.

“You were worried about me?” Blaine asked jokingly, rifling through his bag to grab his bottle of Advil. When he looked back up, he was surprised to see a light blush on Kurt’s face. “Kurt?”

Kurt shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets, nervously looking behind him. Blaine felt a spike of irritation course through him. 

“Why did you help me, Kurt? Why even bother?” Blaine asked. 

Kurt turned back around to look at him and Blaine tried not to falter under his confused gaze. “I really don’t understand you,” he went on. 

“What do you mean?” Kurt asked, eyebrows furrowing. He was so adorable it was almost annoying. 

“What I  _ mean _ is that you… you do things like protect me from your dumb friends and talk to me about your feelings and-and  _ text me _ while you’re drunk,” Blaine exclaimed, “and then you pretend I don’t exist when I smile at you in the hall or see you outside of school!” 

“Blaine-”

“I don’t get it,” Blaine interrupted. “Do you not… are we  _ friends _ ?”

Kurt looked at Blaine sadly, wringing his hands together. 

“Blaine, sometimes I feel like you’re the only real friend I have.” Kurt’s voice was so soft and unsure that it calmed Blaine down almost instantly. “I know that I’ve been awful to you and I’m sorry. I just… I was afraid of what would happen if I… if  _ we _ …”

“If people knew?” Blaine asked quietly. 

Kurt sighed and nodded, leaning against a row of lockers. “It’s… I’m just so scared of going back to that place, you know?” His words were quiet and breathless, almost as if Kurt were telling Blaine a secret he didn’t even know himself. “I’ve had my fair share of dumpster dives and slushies and locker checks. It just felt so good to be part of an in-group for once.

“But I’m trying to be better. At least, I want to be.” Kurt continued, “I just… I’m not very good at it, yet.”

Blaine let out a soft laugh. “I think you’re doing an okay job so far,” he said quietly, thinking about that day in the ice cream shop. “You stood up for me in front of Karofsky. Again.”

Kurt looked at Blaine confusedly who just waved him off, shaking his head with a soft smile. They both sat in comfortable silence, neither one of them wanting to disturb the fragile peace that they’d reached. 

In the end, it was Kurt who broke the silence.

“You look good, by the way. I like that sweater on you,” Kurt said, looking down at the fabric of Blaine’s sweater and clasping his own hands together, almost as if he were fighting himself  _ not  _ to touch it. 

“Thanks,” Blaine said half-heartedly, rubbing at the collar of his sweater lightly. “I feel a little naked without my bow-tie.” 

Kurt hesitated. “I… did Sam like it?”

Blaine paused, a horribly explosive feeling building in his chest. Maybe it was the mention of Sam and the reminder that  _ he’d _ created this frustrating distance between the two of them with his, now seemingly  _ pointless _ lie. Maybe it was almost getting beat up by the school’s biggest idiot that did it, or maybe it was the weeks of Kurt pretending he didn’t exist over and over. He felt something bubbling in him louder and louder until--

“Kurt, this whole thing was never  _ about _ Sam!” Blaine snapped, the words falling out of his mouth quicker than his brain could catch up with them. “It was about you!”

His words echoed around the empty hallway, the reality of what he’d done surrounding him, choking him.

“What?”

_ Oh, God.  _

Blaine’s heart clenched painfully. There was no going back now.

“I just…” Blaine groaned, his mind screaming at him to stop before he did something stupid, “this whole makeover thing was just an excuse to… spend time with you.” 

“Why would you want to spend time with me?” Kurt asked, though the look in his eyes told Blaine that he knew the answer.

Blaine breathed out, lifting his head slightly. His eyes flitted nervously around Kurt’s face, unable to focus on one particular spot. “I… you  _ know _ why, Kurt,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

“I need you to actually say it.” 

_ Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. _

“Because I like you.” 

The silence that followed Blaine’s admission lasted a lifetime. He opened his eyes and looked down at his shoes, preparing himself for the rejection he knew was coming.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Blaine chuckled a bit hysterically, turning his head to  _ finally  _ look at Kurt who was staring back at him with a strange, unreadable expression on his face. 

“Because of… because of who you are. Because I’m…” Blaine crossed his arms tight over his chest. “If I’d actually asked you out that day, would you have said yes?” 

Kurt flushed guiltily. 

“And I was scared and intimidated by you and by your friends and I thought that… that you’d say  _ no _ and then I panicked and lied when I didn’t mean to a-and I’m just… I’m  _ sorry _ that I lied to you but I didn’t see a way to-”

He stopped speaking suddenly when he felt a pair of soft, cold hands cradle his face. Then, a pair of lips gently touched his own.

There were no sparks, no fireworks, but Blaine thought that if it were possible for humans to float, he would be off the ground. His eyes slipped shut as Kurt’s hands moved from his face to cup the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Blaine was unprepared for the wave of heat that passed through him, making his fingertips tingle as he brought his hands up to clutch Kurt’s waist. 

He pulled away briefly in an attempt to catch his breath, but Kurt quickly wrapped his arms around his neck, chasing after his lips and effectively capturing them once more. 

Kurt finally pulled away after a few moments, keeping his arms around Blaine’s neck as he caught his breath. As he opened his eyes, Blaine thought about how Kurt looked more beautiful than he’d ever seen him. His cheeks were flushed a light shade of pink and his lips were shiny and red, spit-slick.  _ Blaine  _ had done that. 

“Um,” Blaine said, voice cracking, “so… does this mean we’re… friends?” 

Kurt just looked at him, fighting back a smile. “I think a better question would be… you  _ don’t  _ have feelings for Sam, then?” 

“No!  _ God  _ no,” Blaine replied. “Definitely not.” 

Kurt nodded, sucking his lips between his teeth for a second, arms still locked around Blaine’s neck. “Good.” 

Blaine nodded stupidly back, unable to look away from Kurt’s eyes. “Yeah.” 

Kurt hummed slightly, fingers fiddling with the short hairs at the nape of Blaine’s neck. “Those lips, though.” 

Blaine just kept nodding. “Uh, lips, yeah.” He wasn’t looking at Kurt’s eyes anymore. 

Kurt blushed and looked down at the distance (or lack thereof) between them before looking back up at Blaine, peering at him through the tops of his eyelashes. 

“There’s about 20 minutes of lunch left,” Kurt said slowly, Blaine’s eyes tracking the movements of his lips with every rounded vowel. 

“Yeah,” Blaine said distractedly. 

Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled despite himself. “Wanna find an empty classroom to  _ be friends _ in?” 

“Yeah.” A grin formed on Blaine’s face as Kurt chuckled and grabbed his hand, leading him down the hallway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHHHH it finally happened!!!!!! Stay tuned for what happens next........
> 
> Thank you to Maya for helping me write this scene when I was super stuck and thank you Nery as always for being a wonderful beta! 
> 
> Thank you for all your wonderful comments!!!!!
> 
> \- Brit xx


	11. Crash Into Me by Steve Aoki and Darren Criss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are staying safe and healthy and indoors! Here's a chapter to hopefully tide you guys over <3 thank you for the incredibly loving response in the last chapter by the way!! 
> 
> today's song is Crash Into Me by Steve Aoki and Darren Criss!! 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PGloFwBT4g

They kissed until their lips were swollen and pink, unable to keep their hands off of each other. Blaine pulled away to take a breath and sighed, resting his forehead against Kurt’s. He blushed when Kurt leaned in and pressed a short, chaste kiss against his lips. 

“Kurt--”

The sharp ring of the bell cut Blaine off before he could finish his sentence. He stepped away from Kurt and wiped his hands on his pants. Kurt was looking at the ground, trying to hide a pleased smile. 

“Um… I-I have to get to biology,” Kurt said softly once he looked up again, grabbing his bag and sliding it onto his shoulder, “but we… we’ll talk about this. Promise.” 

Blaine nodded and held his breath when Kurt leaned in and gave him a soft, hesitant kiss on the cheek before brushing past him and entering the hallway. He turned and looked at the door Kurt had just left through and lifted a hand to touch the place where Kurt’s lips had gently grazed him, a grin growing without his control.

* * *

Kurt left the classroom and immediately leaned against a locker briefly, trying to catch his breath. His lips were tingling and he  _ knew _ his cheeks were flushed from… 

He couldn’t help the grin that grew on his face as he thought about how Blaine’s lips had felt against his own. The intoxicating smell of Blaine’s cologne that filled his nose and his head when they’d been pressed so close together… He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the row of lockers as he heard the distant sounds of students beginning to walk to their afternoon classes. 

Blaine still hadn’t left the classroom, miraculously, so Kurt pushed himself off the wall and spared one last glance at the closed door before beginning to walk to his biology classroom, feeling as though he were walking on air. 

As Kurt walked to his class, mind occupied with thoughts of curly hair and hazel eyes, he failed to notice Santana watching from the distance, a perfectly manicured hand resting carefully on one cocked hip.

* * *

A week had passed since the  _ incident, _ and it wasn’t that Kurt and Blaine  _ weren’t  _ talking per se. They were talking, that’s for sure, they just weren’t explicitly talking about the kiss.

Blaine checked his phone as he walked into the choir room, smiling when he saw a text from Kurt. 

**_From Kurt Hummel, 3:12pm:  
_ ** _ I can’t do coffee after practice today :( coach Sue wants to keep us here until dinner since nationals are coming up _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 3:14pm:  
_ ** _ I’d much rather be spending time with you though _

Blaine bit his lip to stop his grin from growing too wide as he typed out a response, staring at the message for a little longer than necessary. He typed out a heart at the end of his message, and then bit his lip before quickly pressing ‘delete’ and sending the text as it was. 

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 3:14pm:  
_ ** _ Sorry about coach Sue :( I hope practice isn’t too gruelling.  _

Blaine frowned down at the message, watching the little check mark go from  _ delivered  _ to  _ sent _ before he decided:  _ fuck it.  _

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 3:15pm:  
_ ** _ <3 _

Blaine turned off his phone as soon as his message was delivered and stared straight ahead at Mr. Schue, who was writing on the whiteboard, a slightly manic grin on his face. 

“Okay, guys, I have some  _ very  _ exciting news for everyone,” Mr. Schue said, whipping around to face them, pen still in hand. “During the staff meeting today, Principal Figgin told us that the school didn’t have enough money to hire a DJ for the homecoming dance!”

He was met by silence and confused faces. 

“Um… no offense, but that isn’t very exciting news, Mr. Schuester,” Mike said quietly, eyebrows raised. “That just kind of sounds like a bummer.” 

Mr. Schue huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “Well, would it be  _ more _ exciting if I told you that because we don’t have the money for a DJ, that he’s asked us to perform at the dance instead?”

Mr. Schue frowned when he heard a collective chorus of groans. 

“What is it, guys? I thought you’d be excited to get a chance to perform!”

“Mr. Schue, everyone at this school hates us,” Artie replied with a shrug. “If we perform at the dance, we’re basically asking to get our butts kicked.” 

“Last time we sang in public, one of the hockey guys threw a puck at me,” Mercedes said dryly, her hand rubbing a spot on her head, as if soothing the ghost of an injury. 

Mr. Schue shook his head. “I’m disappointed in you guys. Since when do you guys pass up on an opportunity to show your talents?” 

“Since I got locked in a porta-potty that got tipped over,” Artie mumbled, side-eyeing Blaine who gave him a sympathetic smile. 

“I… I think it could be fun, guys,” Blaine said quietly, trying to sound encouraging. “And it’ll be good practice for sectionals.”

“I think you’re right, Blaine. And I already have an idea for what I want to sing.” Rachel began to prattle on about solos while the general volume in the room rose, with other glee members protesting or gossiping with one another. 

Blaine simply huffed out a laugh and went to pull out his phone when Mr. Schue approached him.

“Blaine, I actually want you to sing a solo at the dance,” Mr. Schue said with a smile. 

“What?” Blaine asked, wide-eyed. 

“Think about it as preparation for the solo that I’m going to give you at sectionals,” Mr. Schue continued softly, looking over at Rachel who was furiously skimming through a binder full of sheet music. “And don’t worry about Rachel. I’ll break the news to her.” 

“I… thank you, Mr. Schue, that’s… I won’t let you down,” Blaine replied. 

As Mr. Schue walked away to deal with the chaos, Blaine resumed pulling his phone out of his pocket and turned it on, his heart lifting when he saw a reply from Kurt. 

**_From Kurt Hummel, 3:17pm:  
_ ** _ <3 <3  _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 3:18pm:  
_ ** _ Hey, practice got cancelled tomorrow!! Apparently Sue’s going to Carmel to butter their gym floor and sabotage their cheerleading team before nationals _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 3:19pm:  
_ ** _ Would you maybe wanna come over to hang out?  _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 3:19pm:  
_ ** _ And talk? _

Blaine read the messages over and over again, his heart jumping in his chest. He looked around the room, wondering if anyone had noticed him subtly beginning to freak out in the corner. 

His fingers shook as he sent Kurt a reply, deleting and re-writing the same string of words over and over again.

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 3:25pm:  
_** _Hey! I would_ _love_ _like_ _really_ _enjoy_ _like that!_

When Kurt didn’t respond right away, Blaine shoved his phone back into his pocket, biting his lip as he grinned to himself secretly. 

He couldn’t  _ wait  _ for tomorrow to come.

* * *

After school the next day, Blaine stood by his car, foot tapping nervously as he looked around at the students filing out of the building and into cars or buses. He was wearing another one of Kurt’s chosen outfits, the feeling of torn denim still unfamiliar against his knees. He hadn’t seen Kurt all day, leaving him practically buzzing with excitement for what was to come. 

Blaine couldn’t even  _ think  _ about what might happen once they got to Kurt’s house. The implications were too much. Instead, he tried to focus on people watching, his eyes dutifully following different students as he desperately tried not to think ahead.

“Hey.”

Blaine jumped at the sudden voice and looked ahead, seeing Kurt standing directly in front of him, a bright smile on his face.

“Oh! Hey, Kurt,” Blaine said, grinning lightly. “Um… are you ready to go?”

Kurt pursed his lips and looked down at Blaine’s outfit, reaching out and gently tugging on the hem of Blaine’s shirt. 

“You’re still wearing the clothes I got you,” Kurt said, eyeing the jeans next. Blaine raised his eyebrows, unable to fight the blush that began to rise high on his cheeks.

“Oh… yeah, um… I just thought it would be a nice change,” Blaine shrugged, “does it look bad?”

Kurt looked up suddenly.

“Oh! No, no, it’s not bad at all! You look very handsome,” Kurt said, placing a hand on Blaine’s arm and giving him a reassuring smile, “it’s just… I bought these clothes thinking that you liked Sam, and now that that’s not the case…”

“It feels unnecessary?” Blaine finished, his smile slowly growing. The smile Kurt gave him in return made Blaine feel like the greatest person in the world. 

“It feels unnecessary,” Kurt breathed out a quiet, relieved sigh and squeezed Blaine’s arm. “I kind of miss the cardigans and bow-ties. If we’re being honest.” 

Blaine grinned and looked down at his feet shyly.

“Yeah, I do too,” Blaine’s arm came up and gently rubbed his Adam’s apple where his bowtie usually sat, “also my knees are cold like  _ all the time _ .”

Kurt laughed, throwing his head back. The sound reminded Blaine of a wind-chime gently swaying in the wind. He decided then and there that he could never get tired of hearing that sound. Kurt stopped laughing and smiled, looking at Blaine’s car briefly.

“You ready to go?” he asked. 

Blaine nodded and pushed himself off of his car, opening the passenger’s door for Kurt. “After you.” 

Kurt chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes.

“Such a gentleman,” Kurt drawled, though Blaine could see a hint of pink on his cheekbones. He could count this as a success.

* * *

If Blaine had known that ‘hanging out and talking’ meant making out on Kurt’s couch for an hour, he probably would’ve put on more chapstick before school ended. 

But alas, Blaine hadn’t expected Kurt to attach himself to his face the moment they stepped through the door. 

Blaine had fully intended on  _ actually  _ talking to Kurt about whatever their relationship was… but then he started running his fingers along the fine hairs on the back of Blaine’s neck and Blaine suddenly forgot how to form a coherent thought. 

“Kurt…” Blaine breathed, leaning back slightly, but to no avail. Kurt simply hummed and leaned in for another quick kiss, grinning against Blaine’s lips. 

“Mhm?” Kurt hummed distractedly. One of his hands moved down from Blaine’s neck to his waist in an attempt to pull Blaine closer without actually getting on top of him. Blaine let out a nervous chuckle as he tried one more time to pull away from Kurt’s eager mouth.

“I… when you asked me to come over to talk,” another chaste kiss was placed on Blaine’s mouth, “I thought that you meant we would  _ actually  _ talk.” 

Kurt sighed and pulled away briefly, resting his forehead against Blaine’s and opening his eyes. “I know, I know.” He pulled away from Blaine and Blaine found himself immediately missing the warmth. “I just… you walked in and you looked so cute, I just couldn’t help myself.” 

Blaine blushed and rubbed the back of his neck shyly, a small, pleased smile sneaking its way onto his face. “I… now that you put it that way,” Blaine trailed off, grinning cheekily at Kurt who swatted at his chest gently. “But really, I just… I don’t want to get my signals crossed. What’s happening here?” 

Kurt sighed and righted his shirt from where it had gotten slightly crumpled from being pressed against Blaine’s chest. “What’s happening is that you like me, and I like you.” 

Blaine raised his eyebrows. “You like me?”

Kurt gave him an incredulous look. 

“Blaine, this is the second time I’ve practically attacked you with my mouth, are you telling me you couldn’t  _ tell  _ that I liked you back?”

Blaine groaned and leaned his head back, rubbing his hands over his face in embarrassment. 

“I just wasn’t sure!” Blaine exclaimed, pouting at Kurt who was giggling at him, “I mean… I didn’t know what that… what  _ this _ meant to you.” 

Kurt stopped laughing then, a tender smile settling on his face as he looked at Blaine. 

“ _ This  _ means that I am finally realising just how special you are to me,” Kurt said with a sigh, his hand moving from Blaine’s neck to fiddle with the collar of his shirt. “And this is  _ also  _ me apologising for being so awful to you.”

“Kurt, you weren’t awful-”

“No, I was,” Kurt said defiantly, “I ignored you and I sent you mixed signals and-and let my friends bully you and tease you relentlessly, and for what? A polyester uniform and an imaginary crown?” 

Blaine looked down. 

“I’m sorry, Blaine,” Kurt said quietly, taking Blaine’s hand in his own and squeezing it gently. “ _ But... _ now that we both know how we feel about each other… could we maybe go back to doing the kissing thing?” 

Blaine laughed, his heart filling with an inexplicable feeling of affection that he never thought he’d get to feel, at least not until college. He leaned in and gently kissed Kurt, bringing his hand up to cup Kurt’s jaw, his thumb rubbing at the skin just below Kurt’s ear. 

Kurt fully wrapped his arms around Blaine’s neck as a reward for his compliance, inching closer until he was hovering over Blaine slightly. Blaine’s knees were bracketing one of his legs as Kurt kneeled over him, not  _ quite _ sitting in his lap but close enough for the thrill to be there. 

As they kissed, Blaine became acutely aware of how vacant his left hand was, just sitting idly in his lap. He flailed around for a moment before resting it on Kurt’s waist, tugging him the slightest bit closer. Kurt seemed to approve and let out a quiet noise, much to Blaine’s amusement and delight. 

It was unfortunate that both boys were so caught up in kissing one another, because maybe if they hadn’t been, they would’ve heard the sound of a truck pulling into the driveway, or at the very least, one of them would’ve noticed the sound of keys jingling as they were pressed into the keyhole. 

But, such is life.

* * *

When Burt Hummel decided to close up shop early so that he could take Carole out for a lunch date and then back to his house for coffee, he did not expect to come home to find his son and another boy furiously kissing on the couch. 

He froze in place for a moment as he looked at the scene in front of him, eyes wide. Carole had stopped too, halfway through with taking her scarf off. Kurt and his... _ guest _ … had pulled away from one another by that point, staring at Burt like they were both scared deer caught in his headlights.

“Dad! I-I didn’t… you’re home early!” Kurt exclaimed, jumping to the other side of the couch. Burt saw his son’s eyes dart to where Carole was standing just behind him and he cringed. “...And you brought… Finn’s mom?”

Carole smiled, despite the awkwardness. “Nice to see you again, Kurt. I would ask how you’re doing but, uh…”

Kurt and co. both blushed bright red. Burt staunchly looked away when he noticed Kurt’s friend discreetly trying to wipe his lips. There was something familiar about the earnest look in his eyes. 

“Um… I… it’s nice to see you again, Mr. Hummel,” the boy said, standing up and smiling sheepishly at Burt as he held out a hand. Burt’s eyes scanned the boy’s face before he shook his hand, nodding vaguely.

“We’ve met before,” Burt said, more as an attempt to jog his own memory than anything else. The boy nodded. 

“I’m Blaine, sir. I was… I’m… I was Kurt’s biology tutor.” 

Burt thought back to when he’d met a nerdy-looking kid, bespectacled, wearing a bright bow-tie, and pants tighter than the leotard that Burt had found in Kurt’s laundry once. 

“Blaine! Right, right, I remember… you were the kid who liked the Buckeyes!” Burt exclaimed, shaking Blaine’s hand firmly. Kurt rolled his eyes from behind Blaine.

“Of all the things to remember, you choose that one?” Kurt commented dryly, walking forward to stand at Blaine’s side. “Why are you home so early?”

“Just ‘cause I ruined your uh… date, doesn’t mean you get to be snippy with me, Mister,” Burt said, turning a sharp eye towards his son who looked away guiltily. “Mrs. Hudson and I just finished havin’ lunch together and I invited her over for coffee. As friends.”

Kurt looked between the two of them, the dots connecting in his brain. Suddenly, his eyes widened with realisation. “Oh.”

Burt smiled sheepishly and looked back at Carole who was watching their exchange with a smile.

“Yeah,” Burt said with a sigh, taking off his baseball cap and rubbing at his head nervously. “‘Oh’.” 

Kurt looked at Blaine who looked  _ very  _ uncomfortable before grabbing his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. Burt’s eyes travelled down to their clasped hands and he raised his eyebrows. 

“Well, don’t let us interrupt your little  _ rendezvous, _ ” Kurt said, throwing his father a look that Burt  _ knew _ said ‘we’ll talk about this later’. “Blaine and I will be upstairs, studying.”

Burt huffed out a quiet laugh as Kurt led Blaine out of the living room and sat on the couch with a quiet grunt. 

“Leave the door open when you  _ study _ ,” He called after them, locking eyes with Carole who smiled at him affectionately. Burt heard a quiet, embarrassed moan and he laughed quietly once more, shaking his head and beckoning Carole to sit next to him.

He supposed there were benefits to parenting sometimes.

* * *

Santana stepped into the boys' locker room and wrinkled her nose at the smell of sweat and insecurity practically seeping out of the walls. She was here for one thing and one thing only: Dave Karofsky. 

She put on her best bitch face and walked through the crowd of boys changing, rolling her eyes when they leered at her or covered themselves up when she walked past. Oh, if only they knew how genuinely uninterested she was. 

She saw Karofsky standing at his locker, fully dressed in an awful-looking polo and ill-fitting jeans. Santana raised her eyebrows before walking up to him, crossing her arms and waiting for him to acknowledge her. He turned his head slowly and faced her, eyebrows raised. 

“What do you want, Lopez?” Karofsky asked, shutting his locker with more aggression than Santana thought necessary. “You looking for a real man to satisfy you?”

Santana fought the urge to vomit. 

“First of all, if I were to choose any guy in this room to have sex with, I wouldn’t choose one who looks like he’s made of uncooked pizza dough,” Santana remarked dryly, one eyebrow pristinely raised. “Second of all, I think you and I need to talk, in private.” 

Karofsky looked around before looking at Santana and nodded minutely, grabbing his gym bag. “Fine. But not here.”

Santana nodded and waited for him to walk past her before she followed, a small smirk growing on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh shit what are they planning
> 
> Only 4 more chapters left, ahh!!! I hope everyone is having fun reading so far! 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for all your comments and kudos!! the response has been way more than I expected so I'm so grateful!
> 
> \- Brit xx


	12. I Believe by the Jonas Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Today's song is I Believe by the Jonas Brothers!!! Happy reading everyone x 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4lSke63WMI

Dave walked to his car briskly, pulling his letterman jacket tightly around his torso as he did, feeling scrutinized and somehow naked under Santana’s watchful gaze. They reached his car and he turned around, looking around the empty parking lot.

“What do you want?” Dave asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He kept his eyes fixed on anywhere  _ but  _ Santana who was standing in front of him with her arms crossed. 

“I saw you follow Blanderson out into the hallway at lunch last week,” Santana said, “and then not long after you left, so did Kurt. What was the deal with that?” 

Dave swallowed uncomfortably and looked down at the ground, the humiliation of that moment rushing back to him all at once. 

“Nothin’ happened,” Dave said, heat rising from his neck to his cheeks, “fags gotta stick together or some shit.” 

Santana let out a sharp laugh and rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, don’t even try that with me. I know you prefer batting to pitching.” 

Dave stared at her, a confused look on his face. “Uh… I play football, not baseball.”

“Oh, my God, you are such a dumb jock stereotype,” Santana scoffed, looking around her before turning back to Dave and lowering her voice, “I know you’re  _ gay _ .” 

The look he gave her would’ve been comical had it not hit so close to home for Santana. Dave’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped just slightly, a concerned furrow settling into his eyebrows. 

“I don’t… that’s… I’m not  _ gay!”  _ Dave exclaimed, choking around the word like it was a pill he couldn’t swallow. Santana looked at him incredulously.

“The look you gave Kurt’s butt when we were practicing on the football field yesterday says otherwise,” Santana said dryly. Dave clenched his fist and took a step toward her.

“You… i-if you tell anyone, I swear to god,” Dave said quietly, “you may be a chick but I will mess you up.” 

“Mhm, I’m  _ so  _ scared. Take a step back, beef-for-brains, you smell like a McDonalds in the middle of a fish market.” Santana smirked when he stepped back. “And I’m not gonna tell anyone. That’s not why I approached you.” 

Dave was just confused now. “Then why…”

“I have a proposition.”

* * *

“So, homecoming’s coming up,” Quinn said as she stared into her compact, gently applying a touch of blush to the apples of her cheeks. 

“Yep,” Kurt said distractedly, grinning down at his phone at a text Blaine had sent him. 

Quinn looked over at her best friend and smiled, closing her compact and slipping it into her bag. “You’ve been awfully chipper recently.” 

Kurt looked up finally, his grin still firmly fixed on his place. “Have I?” He asked, shoving his phone into his pocket and shrugging. “I haven’t really noticed.”

Quinn hummed and linked their arms together as they began their walk to class. “Do you wanna come dress shopping with me after practice?” 

Kurt smiled at her and squeezed her arm. “Of course, I’d love to. Did you manage to convince Finn to run for homecoming king with you?” 

Quinn fell silent then, staring straight ahead as they walked. Kurt looked over, eyebrows raised in concern. 

“Quinn?” He heard a slow controlled breath escape Quinn’s lips before she began speaking.

“Finn broke up with me, actually,” she said finally, avoiding Kurt’s gaze. “Apparently he and  _ Rachel Berry  _ got paired up for a science project and she somehow got him to fall in love with her or some bullshit.” 

Kurt made a quiet, sympathetic sound. “Quinnie, I’m so sorry.” 

Quinn shook her head and unlinked their arms, tightening her ponytail and looking at him with a steely gaze in her eye. “Don’t apologise. Finn was just… a speedbump.” 

Kurt eyed her briefly before shrugging. “You’re right. You deserve way better than the likes of Finn Hudson.”

Quinn narrowed her eyes, a small smirk on her lips. “Didn’t you have a crush on him in sophomore year?” she asked cheekily, bumping their shoulders together and laughing quietly when Kurt’s cheeks turned bright red. 

“I… we swore we would never talk about that dark time  _ ever  _ again!” Kurt sputtered, hiding his face in his hands as Quinn cackled beside him. 

“I know, it’s just funny to remind you about how misguided you used to be,” Quinn said with a final giggle. “Anyway, now that Finn isn’t an option anymore, I think you and I should run for homecoming king and queen.”

Kurt stopped laughing then, turning to look at Quinn. “You’re kidding right?”

“No, I’m not kidding,” she said, an intensity in her eyes that Kurt had seen somewhere before. “We may not be dating but we practically run this school. It would be perfect.”

Kurt fell silent, staring straight ahead as he pondered Quinn’s proposition. He hadn’t been very well liked at school until he’d joined the Cheerios. Before then, he’d basically been nothing. Maybe he still was. “How can we even be sure people will vote for me?” 

Quinn looked at him incredulously. “Fear. And the perfect campaign, of course.” 

Kurt hesitated, nibbling on his lip. “I don’t know, Quinn…”

“Please?” Quinn asked. “You’re the only person I would want to do this with.”

Kurt sighed before a smile slowly crept onto his face at the idea of him and Quinn standing on stage together, getting crowned king and queen. He took her hand and squeezed it lightly in his own. 

“Okay. I’m in.”

* * *

Blaine walked out of his classroom, focusing on shoving his books back into his bag when he felt a hand grabbing his arm. He jumped about a foot in the air and turned to face the person, expecting to see Karofsky or Azimio or another one of their goons accosting him. 

His pulse slowed when he saw Kurt standing outside his classroom, the bright smile on his face dimming with guilt. 

“Sorry! Did I scare you?” Kurt asked. 

Blaine laughed quietly and shook his head, looking around before stepping to the side of the doorway. “No, not really, just… I wasn’t expecting to see you, that’s all,” he said with a shy smile. He looked around at his classmates who were all filing out of his classroom, some of them giving him and Kurt strange looks as they passed. He suddenly felt very exposed. “Um… what’s up?”

Kurt smiled, his eyes darting around the hallway briefly before landing on Blaine. “Nothing, I just wanted to walk my boyfriend to lunch.” He had a sparkle in his eye that Blaine couldn’t help but feel captivated by. “Can I do that?”

Blaine paused for a moment, contemplating slapping himself in the face just in case he was still in bed, dreaming. Surely, this wasn’t real life, right? 

“Yes!” Blaine said, blushing brightly at how enthusiastic he sounded. “Yes, of course you can.” 

Kurt grinned at him and bumped their shoulders together lightly as they fell into step with one another. “I see you’ve decided to retire the ripped jeans.”

Blaine glanced down at his legs and laughed quietly, rubbing the thighs of his dark navy chinos. “Yeah… I didn’t wanna get any weird tan lines, you know?” 

Kurt laughed and nodded, his eyes drifting up Blaine’s chest and resting on his matching bow-tie which sat proudly underneath Blaine’s Adam’s apple. “And the bow-tie?” 

“Well… someone told me that he actually misses bow-ties on me, so… I decided to wear one just for old time’s sake.” Blaine’s voice was quiet and shy as he turned to look at Kurt who was smiling at him brightly. 

They reached the cafeteria and Blaine hesitated at the doors, staring at the group of jocks and Cheerios sitting at their signature center table. He turned to Kurt, only to find that he was looking at the same thing, a worried expression on his face.

“We don’t have to walk in together…” Blaine said softly. 

Kurt stared off into the cafeteria for a moment, wringing his hands together. “I want to, though. It’s just… kind of scary.”

Blaine sighed and took hold of Kurt’s hands, stopping him from rubbing them together. “I know. It’s okay, we don’t have to jump in all at once. Baby steps, right?” 

Kurt smiled at Blaine and took a breath, squeezing Blaine’s hands and gently pushing him out of view of the windows in the cafeteria door, and into a small hidden alcove. He planted a light kiss to Blaine’s lips when he was sure no one could see and rubbed their noses together quickly. “Baby steps.” 

With that, Kurt pulled away and gave Blaine one last smile before walking into the cafeteria and striding over to the lunch table, taking his rightful spot next to Quinn. 

Blaine watched from behind the door and smiled when he saw his boyfriend -  _ boyfriend!!! - _ take his seat. He waited a few seconds before walking in himself, barely sparing the Cheerio’s table a glance as he walked briskly to where his friends were sat. 

“Hey, guys,” Blaine said as he sat down, pulling his lunch out of his bag, “how’s it going?”

He pulled out a box of veggies and dip from his bag, raising his eyebrows when Sam immediately took a stick of cucumber and bit into it. 

“What?” Sam asked through the cucumber. “I forgot my wallet this morning.”

Blaine rolled his eyes but pushed the small box towards his friend. He smiled when he felt Sam casually rest his arm around his shoulders as he took a baby carrot. He looked across the cafeteria and locked eyes with Kurt. 

Kurt’s eyebrows were furrowed and he had a small frown on his lips as he took a sip of his diet coke. Blaine gave Kurt a confused look and pulled out his phone, sending him a text under the table.

**_From Blaine (Tutor), 12:35pm:  
_ ** _ Is that diet coke all you’re having for lunch? _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 12:35pm:  
_ ** _ Coach Sue’s cheerio diet plan :(  _

**_From Kurt Hummel, 12:36pm:  
_ ** _ Are you sure Sam’s straight?? _

Blaine raised his eyebrows at Kurt’s text and looked up, sending Kurt a confused expression. He saw Kurt deliberately look between him and Sam and a slow grin grew on his face. Was he… 

“What are you smiling about?” Sam asked, turning his head to face Blaine as he stole one of Mercedes’ tater tots. Blaine thought Sam was trying to be scrutinizing but just ended up looking bewildered. 

“Nothing,” Blaine said, putting his phone on sleep mode, “I just thought of a funny video that my brother texted me.”

Sam, of course, demanded to see the video and Blaine turned his phone back on, sending Kurt an apologetic look that he hoped said ‘I’ll reply to your text later’ as he opened Instagram and tried to find a random funny video to show Sam.

* * *

Kurt knew it was unreasonable to be jealous over your boyfriend’s best friend, especially when said best friend was supposedly straight and didn’t know they were dating… but he just couldn’t help but feel his shoulders tense the moment he saw Sam sling his arm around Blaine so casually. 

He was barely listening to Quinn as she discussed different campaign poster ideas with him, flicking through options on her phone. 

“What about this one?” she asked, sliding her phone over to Kurt. 

Kurt hummed noncommittally and turned his attention back down to his coke can. “Yeah, that one’s fine.” 

“Mhm… ‘fine’? I combined teal with maroon,” Quinn said dryly, putting her phone away and leaning towards Kurt. “What’s wrong? You were fine when you sat down and now you’re all pissy.”

“I’m fine, just tired,” Kurt sighed, sipping the last few drops of his soda. 

“Tired from holding hands and talking about your feelings with your simpering chihuahua of a boyfriend?” 

Kurt rolled his eyes when he heard Santana’s voice, watching as she placed her backpack down on the table and took a seat next to Brittany, her perfect beauty in stark contrast to the ugly words flying out of her mouth.

“Do you ever get tired of being unfunny and immature?” Kurt bit back, his irritation growing. His eyes flickered back to Blaine’s table and he felt his frown deepen when he saw Sam and Blaine’s heads bowed, looking at something on Blaine’s phone. 

“Do you ever get tired of being a priss?”

“Okay, guys, can we stop this, please?” Quinn butted in, rolling her eyes. “You’re upsetting Britt."

Brittany furrowed her eyebrows as she tore the skin off of a grape and sucked on it. “You guys fighting all the time reminds me of Lord Tubbington’s divorce hearing.”

“I’ll stop when Kurt stops hanging out with losers and ruining our reputation,” Santana said, glaring at Kurt sharply. “You think you’re invincible or something? We  _ made _ you.”

“Oh, my God,” Kurt laughed in disbelief, “are you seriously so immature to think that any of this  _ shit  _ matters? Because it fucking doesn’t. Popularity doesn’t mean  _ anything! _ ” 

Kurt could feel his voice getting higher and louder the more overwhelmed he got. He could feel weeks -- no, not weeks,  _ years _ \-- of repressed frustration building up in his chest, threatening to burst at any moment. He barely even noticed the other Cheerios quieten around him, his attention directed solely towards Santana, sat in front of him with an infuriating smirk on her face.

“Kurt, calm down. We’re all friends here,” Quinn said softly, placing a hand on his forearm. Kurt huffed and shook her off. 

“Are we, Quinn?” Kurt said, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “I… I’m so tired of pretending to be a person that I’m not, pretending that I think that I’m better than everyone else, all because of something as arbitrary as  _ reputation _ .” 

“Wow, Kurt, tell us how you  _ really  _ feel,” Santana remarked, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. 

Kurt clenched his fists tightly. “I am so sick of letting you run my life, tell me who I can and can’t be friends with, telling me how to act and speak and  _ be _ ,” he said lowly, leaning in. “I am done with you.”

He paused and took a breath, looking around the cafeteria at all the students who were watching his little scene and soaking in the sudden silence that felt deafening. 

“I quit.”

“You what?” Quinn asked, eyebrows raising by just a fraction of an inch.

“I quit the team,” Kurt repeated, jaw clenched. “I’ll hand in my uniform to coach Sue right now.” 

Santana huffed out a cruel laugh. “Go right on ahead and do that, Kurt. While you’re at it, you can go refamiliarize yourself with the dumpsters out back.” 

Kurt shot Santana one last glare before storming out of the cafeteria, his heart pounding so hard he could feel it in his ears. 

As the cafeteria doors swung shut behind him, he thought about what he’d just done, and surprised himself when he found that he felt no regret whatsoever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! Only 3 chapters left <3 super nervous to share them but I'm so thankful for everyone who's been hangin out on this journey with me!
> 
> \- Brit xx


	13. This Love Can Save Us All by Patent Pending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!! Sorry for the delay with this chapter, I've been moving around a bit! I had to move back home to Hong Kong earlier than expected because of the virus situation so I couldn't upload for a while. 
> 
> The song for this chapter is This Love Can Save Us All by Patent Pending!! 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnKobk7V2kY

Blaine watched as Kurt yelled at Santana, his voice echoing through the cafeteria. All at once he felt proud and concerned for Kurt. He wanted nothing more than to run up to him and pull him into a tight hug, comfort him in any way he could, but in reality he could only watch from his table, helpless. 

But when Kurt stormed out of the cafeteria, every single muscle in Blaine’s body was telling him to jump up and run after him. 

So that’s what he did.

Blaine watched the door for a few seconds after Kurt had left before he began frantically shoving his things into his bag, Sam’s arm slipping off of his shoulder as he stood up.

“Bee, where are you going?” Tina asked, one eyebrow arched. Blaine gave her a withering look. She returned it with a smile. “Mhm… okay. See you in Glee.” 

He quickly waved goodbye to his friends and walked out the door, catching a glimpse in the hallway of Kurt rounding the corner towards the school exit.

“Kurt!”

He jogged towards Kurt, face breaking into a sad smile when Kurt turned around and instantly opened his arms upon seeing him. Blaine practically jumped into Kurt’s arms and hugged him tightly, pressing a light kiss onto his shoulder.

“Hi.” Kurt’s voice was muffled as he buried his nose in the side of Blaine’s neck. Blaine didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh or cry at how casual Kurt sounded.

“Hi?” he mumbled, pulling away from the hug but keeping his arms wrapped firmly around Kurt’s waist. “Are you okay? What happened in there?” 

Kurt sighed and rested his hands on Blaine’s shoulders, rubbing up and down his biceps slowly. “I just… I was talking to Quinn about our homecoming king and queen campaign and then Santana came in and she started insulting you and I lost it.

“But it wasn’t… it wasn’t just about you,” Kurt continued, looking down at his feet. “I did it for me. Because I couldn’t keep pretending to be okay with being a bully and just listening while they ripped you and other people to shreds. That’s not who I am, and that’s  _ never _ who I want to be.”

Blaine sighed and pulled Kurt closer, pressing a light kiss to his lips. “I’m proud of you for doing that.” 

Kurt smiled and nuzzled their noses together, letting out a slow breath. “Is it weird that I feel… good? Shouldn’t I be, like, devastated or anxious or something?” 

Blaine shrugged. “I’d say hold on to the good feeling for as long as possible.” 

Kurt chuckled. They stood there in the empty hallway, quietly holding each other and exchanging soft pecks every so often. Eventually, Kurt pulled away and pulled his phone out of his pocket, smiling at Blaine mischievously. 

“I was thinking about something earlier, when we were texting just now,” Kurt said, scrolling through his contacts until he reached Blaine’s name. Blaine raised his eyebrows.

“Oh? What were you thinking about?”

Kurt smiled impishly and held his phone up so Blaine could see. “You’re still listed as my tutor in my contacts.” 

“So I am,” Blaine said, wrinkling his nose. “I remember when I put my name into your phone, I was secretly freaking out ‘cause I didn’t wanna put my full name just in case-”

“That doesn’t matter anymore,” Kurt interrupted, typing something into his phone.

Blaine’s mouth twisted into a little smirk when he realized what was happening. “What are you changing it to?” 

Kurt pressed ‘done’ with a flourish before turning his phone around to show Blaine. Instead of saying ‘Blaine (Tutor)’ like it normally did, Kurt had changed his name to ‘Blaine <3 <3 <3’. Blaine laughed and pulled out his own phone, biting his lip as he changed Kurt’s name to match, adding three bright red heart emojis. Kurt watched him with an affectionate smile he seemed unwilling--or unable, maybe--to wipe away. 

“I guess this makes it official, huh?” Blaine said jokingly, slipping his phone back into his pocket and looking up at Kurt. Kurt smiled softly and pressed another kiss to Blaine’s lips. 

“Super official,” he murmured against his lips before pulling away. 

“Hey, um… you don’t have to if you don’t want to or anything but,” Blaine hesitated, nibbling on his lip as Kurt waited for him to finish his sentence, “maybe you could sit at my lunch table tomorrow? With me. And my friends.” 

Kurt raised his eyebrows. “Would that be okay with your friends?” 

“Yeah! I’m sure they’d love to have you,” Blaine said quickly. 

Kurt’s face twisted into a pensive frown as he hesitated. “On one condition.”

“Yeah?”

“You pick me up tomorrow morning and we get coffee before class.”

Blaine laughed and nodded, wrinkling his nose in pretend-thought. “You drive a hard bargain but… I think I can swing that.”

Kurt leaned in for another kiss but stopped when Blaine’s head reared back slightly. 

“Wait, I have one more thing to ask you,” Blaine said, a cheeky grin growing on his face. “When you were texting me earlier about Sam…”

Kurt groaned and hid his face in his hands. “Blaine…”

“Were you  _ jealous _ , Kurt Hummel?” 

Kurt glared at Blaine, though there was no heat behind his eyes. “I… I wasn’t  _ jealous _ , I just… you convinced me that you had a crush on Sam! I’m sorry if it’s a little hard watching you two together now that you’re  _ my _ boyfriend.” 

Blaine’s smile softened and he reached for Kurt’s hand. “Well, you wanna know the difference between you and Sam?” 

“Mm? What’s that?” 

“I don’t wanna kiss Sam,” Blaine said softly, leaning in and brushing their lips together. “Promise.” 

Kurt sighed and nodded, kissing Blaine back fervently. 

“And it’d better stay that way.”

* * *

The next morning, Blaine parked in Kurt’s driveway and got out of the car, bristling slightly in the cool October breeze as he walked to Kurt’s door and rang the doorbell. When his boyfriend finally opened the door, Blaine grinned. 

“You’re early!” Kurt exclaimed, pressing a quick kiss to Blaine’s cheek as he stepped aside and let Blaine inside the house.

“Only by a little,” Blaine said happily, stepping into Kurt’s house and peering into the kitchen where he saw Kurt’s dad sitting at the table, coffee mug in hand. “Good morning, Mr. Hummel.”

“Good to see you, Blaine,” Burt called back, lifting his coffee mug in greeting, “and don’t worry about all that ‘mister’ crap, it makes me feel old.”

Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled despite himself, leaning in to whisper in Blaine’s ear: “Suck up.”

Blaine stuck out his tongue playfully and placed his hands in his pockets. “You ready to go?” 

“Yeah, just…” Kurt glanced into a mirror by the staircase and fixed a loose strand of hair that had somehow fallen onto his forehead, “now I’m ready.” 

“Oh, Kurt, before you leave, I wanted to remind you that Carole and I are going out for dinner tonight so you’re on your own, okay?” Burt called. “But that doesn’t mean you can invite whoever you want: if you wanna invite a friend over, you still have to ask me. Got it?”

Kurt rolled his eyes but nodded, giving his dad a quick kiss on the head. “I got it, no wild parties while you’re on your date. Have a good day!”

“You too, Bud!”

Kurt tugged his shoes on, taking Blaine’s hand and pulling him out the door. 

“So how’s the whole ‘your dad and Finn’s mom’ thing going?” Blaine asked as he unlocked his car and opened the passenger’s side for Kurt. 

“It’s been going fine. My dad seems really happy with Carole… I just hope this whole fiasco doesn’t make things awkward for Finn and I,” Kurt said, gnawing on his thumbnail. “He never really  _ bullied _ me like the other guys did, but… he didn’t exactly say anything when they did, either.” 

Blaine reached over and took Kurt’s hand, squeezing it gently. “I’m sure everything will be fine. I think dating Rachel has changed him.” 

Kurt hummed and smiled at Blaine weakly, squeezing his hand back and keeping hold of it as Blaine started driving. “I hope so.”

Blaine was quiet for a while as he pulled out of Kurt’s driveway. “Do you regret doing what you did yesterday?” 

Kurt hummed, lips quirking into a smile. “No,” he said, turning to meet Blaine’s eyes, “I don’t regret it at all.”

Blaine smiled back, struggling a bit to return his gaze to the road. “Okay.”

* * *

Blaine put his car into park when they reached the school and sat back, side-eyeing Kurt who was looking down at his coffee cup and decidedly  _ not _ out the window at the students milling around before classes started. 

“Are you okay?” 

Kurt looked up at Blaine’s question and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… I forgot what it was like to feel so out of control.” 

Blaine smiled, pressing a kiss to Kurt’s knuckles. “I’m right here next to you, okay?” 

Kurt sighed, hesitating for a few moments before placing his free hand on the door handle. “Let’s do this.” 

They both got out of the car and Kurt swung his bag onto his shoulder, a cool expression taking over his features as he waited for Blaine to lock up his car. As they walked toward the building, they talked quietly. Well, it was mostly Blaine talking and Kurt listening, trying to distract himself from the fear he could feel building up inside him. 

Blaine could sense Kurt’s tension and gently bumped their shoulders together, his hand itching to reach out and grab Kurt’s. 

They stepped inside the school, and suddenly the world narrowed to moments of high intensity. 

There was Karofsky, a few paces in front of them, facing the door. There was a plastic cup in his hand, red and menacing. 

Kurt stiffened, his strangled gasp lost beneath the sound of blood rushing in his ears. 

On pure survival instinct, Blaine shit his eyes tightly and braced himself for impact. 

But it never came. He opened his eyes and looked down at himself, confused, before looking over at Kurt. His breath escaped him when he saw his boyfriend covered in chunks of bright blue ice, the syrup dripping down his face and neck onto his shirt. 

“Welcome back to the bottom,  _ loser _ ,” Karofsky said, throwing the cup over his shoulder before brushing past them both. 

The hallway erupted into whispered conversations, the sound building until it was almost like screaming in Blaine’s ears. 

“Blaine?” Kurt’s voice was scarily calm and still. 

“Yes?” Blaine asked quietly. 

“Can you take me to the girls’ locker room, please?” 

Blaine nodded and placed a hand on Kurt’s back, ignoring the sticky sting from the ice that met with his palm as he slowly guided Kurt to the girls’ locker room. Part of him wanted to run after Karofsky and tackle him fully to the hard linoleum floor, but another part -- the bigger part -- knew he had to stay and help Kurt. 

They reached the locker room in silence and Kurt dumped his bag on the bench and walked to the sink, turning on the faucet and scrubbing the ice and dye from his face. Blaine helplessly watched his reflection in the mirror.

“I have some spare clothes in my gym locker,” Blaine said, putting his bag down next to Kurt’s. “I keep them in there just in case…”  _ this happens. _

Kurt turned off the sink and gripped the sides of it, blinking open his eyes and catching Blaine’s gaze for a split second in the mirror. “Thanks.” 

Blaine nodded and left the locker room, running across the hall to where the boys’ locker room was. He entered quietly, counting his blessings that no one was inside, and opened his locker, pulling out his gym bag and running back to Kurt. 

Blaine opened the bag and fished around inside for his spare shirt as Kurt was attempting to dry his hair with numerous sheets of paper towel. “I think there might be a clean towel in here, too.”

Kurt looked up and took the bag from Blaine, smiling at him thankfully. He peered inside the bag and raised his eyebrows. “There’s a whole outfit in here… and shampoo  _ and  _ hair gel.” 

“Yeah,” Blaine said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “you never know when you’re gonna need spares.” 

Kurt looked at Blaine, astonished. “Was it really that bad?” 

Blaine shrugged uncomfortably, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I… it got pretty bad, yeah.” 

Kurt looked down at the bag and sighed before pulling Blaine close by his forearms and giving him a gentle kiss. “I’m sorry.” 

Blaine smiled at the kiss and squeezed Kurt’s arm. “Don’t apologise. It’s not like you ever slushied me.” 

Kurt smiled sadly and put the gym bag down on the bench as he began unbuttoning his shirt. Blaine made a quiet, choked sound and turned around quickly, averting his eyes. 

“I, uh… do you want me to stay?” Blaine asked, looking up at the ceiling. He heard Kurt laughing quietly behind him. 

“I would like it if you did...” Kurt said, shrugging his stained shirt off of his shoulders and pulling Blaine’s clean one out of the bag. “But you don’t have to.”

“N-no, I’ll stay.” Blaine clasped his hands behind him as he waited for Kurt to finish changing.  Kurt held up the polo shirt and smirked, rubbing the soft fabric with his fingers. “I’m not usually a purple polo shirt guy, but… I can make an exception for today.” Blaine laughed quietly, listening to the rustle of fabric. 

“You can turn around now,” Kurt said, smiling when he saw Blaine’s bright red cheeks. “Thank you for letting me borrow your shirt.” 

When Blaine turned, he felt his jaw drop. Blaine’s shirt was just a tad tight on Kurt, making it ride up where his pants began, revealing a  _ glorious _ strip of skin that Blaine tried desperately not to focus on.

“Your shirt’s kinda tight,” Kurt said, giving Blaine a sheepish smile as he tugged on the hem. “I don’t think I can rock this look as well as you can.”

Blaine chuckled -- maybe  _ too _ loudly -- and reached over to correct a fold in his sleeve. “I… I think you look great. You look good in my clothes.” 

Kurt smiled at him and pressed a soft kiss to Blaine’s lips, savouring the feeling and sighing. “God, I forgot how bad getting slushied feels.”

“Mm… it’s definitely not pleasant,” Blaine murmured against Kurt’s lips, “you okay?”

Kurt hesitated, nuzzling their noses together before nodding. “Surprisingly… yes. I’m sorry if I was rude earlier, I was just--”

“You don’t have to apologise, Kurt, I get it,” Blaine interrupted, giving Kurt another light kiss before checking his watch. “Aw, man… we’ve already missed half of first period.” 

A smirk grew on Kurt’s lips and he tapped his chin, pretending to ponder. “Hmm… well, I suppose there’s no point of going to class now… wanna wait in here until second?” 

Blaine chortled and shook his head. “Kurt Hummel, you  _ rebel _ .”

“Stick with me, kid. I’ll show you how the other half lives,” Kurt said, putting on an over-exaggerated version of a New York accent. Blaine laughed and Kurt sighed happily, hoping that he would never forget how good Blaine’s laugh made him feel.

* * *

They went to class eventually, ultimately deciding to skip second period as well in favour of… spending time together. 

Blaine walked into his biology class and took his regular seat next to Tina, ignoring the questioning look that she had aimed in his direction. 

When she wouldn’t stop, Blaine sighed and turned to look at her. “What’s up, Tay?”

“Kurt Hummel got slushied this morning,” Tina said quietly, her eyes darting between their teacher and Blaine. 

“Yes… and?” 

“And you weren’t in AP US history  _ or  _ English this morning.”

Blaine looked down at this notebook, biting the inside of his cheek to stop the smile that he could feel growing. “Are you insinuating something?”

“If I were, would I be  _ right _ ?” 

Blaine glanced at Tina out of the corner of his eye and paused before giving her the slightest of nods. 

“Yes!” 

The entire class turned to look at her when she exclaimed and Blaine’s face grew bright red, placing his forehead in his hands. 

“Um… I’m just  _ super  _ excited about food webs,” Tina said, smiling sheepishly at their teacher who’s paused her writing on the chalkboard. “Nothing says  _ fun _ like… tertiary consumers!” 

Their teacher looked at Tina strangely before turning back to the board and resuming what she’d been doing before.

“Okay,” Tina hissed, shuffling closer to Blaine and placing her chin in her hands. “Tell me  _ everything _ .” 

Blaine chuckled quietly and put his pen down, eyeing their teacher before turning to Tina and quietly explaining to her what had happened between him and Kurt. By the time he’d finished, class was over. Blaine looked down at his blank sheet of notes. He guessed he’d gotten carried away. 

“Aw, Blainey-days, that’s such a sweet story,” Tina cooed, linking their arms and resting her head on his shoulder as they walked out of the classroom together. “I never thought that I’d say this but… I kind of feel bad for Kurt.”

Blaine furrowed his eyebrows. “Why did you ‘never think you’d say that’?” 

Tina hesitated. “To be honest… I kind of thought that Kurt was a stuck up bitch before.” 

“What?” Blaine asked, “then why were you so into encouraging me to go after him?” 

“Because I’m your friend, Bee. And plus, I… I didn’t really think anything was gonna come of it, you know?” Tina explained guiltily, a sheepish expression on her face. “We’ve all had unattainable crushes… I just thought that your thing with Kurt was one of them.” 

Blaine rolled his eyes but smiled anyway, patting her hand lightly. “Well… I guess my ‘crush’ wasn’t so unattainable after all.” 

Tina laughed softly and sighed. “I’m really glad that you’re happy, Bee. That’s all I wanted for you.” 

“Aw,” Blaine said, pulling her in for a quick side hug. “Thanks, Tay, that’s really sweet. So will you back me up when I invite Kurt to sit at our table at lunch? I’m just a little worried about how the others are gonna react.”

Tina nodded. “I’ve got your back.”

* * *

“Your friends are gonna hate me.” 

Blaine stopped walking when he realised that Kurt was no longer at his side. He turned and saw Kurt standing stock-still in the middle of the hallway, staring straight ahead at the cafeteria doors.

“What?” He asked, walking towards Kurt and placing a hand on his arm. “No, they won’t.” 

“Yes, they will. I’m pretty sure I told Rachel she dressed like a blind toddler once,” Kurt said, nervously worrying the fabric of Blaine’s polo between his fingers. “Your friends are gonna hate me.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “Well… I mean, Rachel kind of  _ does  _ dress like a blind toddler. And I’m sure no one remembers that,” Blaine trailed off as he peered into the cafeteria. “Just follow me, okay? I promise no one hates you.”

Kurt looked at Blaine warily but mustered up a small smile, following closely behind as he walked into the cafeteria. Kurt looked over at the Cheerio’s table briefly but looked  away as soon as he caught Quinn’s eye, turning in the opposite direction to where Blaine’s friends were sitting.

Blaine gave Kurt an encouraging smile before turning to face his friends. “Hey, guys.”

The table fell silent as they all turned to stare at Kurt who was rocking back and forth on his heels behind Blaine. Thankfully, Tina spoke first.

“Hey, Blainey-days, Kurt,” She said, taking her backpack off of the seat beside her and patting it lightly, “I saved you guys a seat.”

Kurt looked at Tina in disbelief but sat down next to Blaine, smiling at Tina. “Um… thanks, Tina.”

Tina smiled at Kurt kindly and Kurt felt some of his anxiety slipping away. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. 

“What’s he doing here, Blaine?” 

Never mind.

Kurt turned to face Rachel and schooled his face into his bitchiest expression. Blaine placed a hand on his knee and squeezed lightly. 

“He’s here because I asked him if he wanted to sit with us,” Blaine said, almost daring Rachel to protest. 

“But… why?” Artie was the next to speak up. “He’s never really interacted with us before.”

“Except for when he told me that I looked like a blind toddler on crack,” Rachel interrupted indignantly, glaring at Kurt who was looking down at his lap, trying to calm himself down. 

“That was-”

“I’m sorry,” Kurt said suddenly, interrupting Blaine. “I shouldn’t have said that to you. That was rude.” 

Kurt and Blaine shared a glance before he turned to face Rachel who looked taken aback. “You  _ don’t  _ look like a blind toddler on crack.”

Rachel huffed and crossed her arms but turned away from Kurt, obviously not satisfied but not willing to put up anymore of a fuss. Blaine smiled at Kurt and squeezed his hand. Kurt smiled back and let out a quiet breath. 

“Well, I’m cool with him sitting with us,” Mercedes said with a shrug, “as long as he doesn’t bring his cheerio friends over.” 

Kurt scoffed. “Oh, don’t worry about that. They’re not exactly my friends anymore.”

Silence fell over the table and Kurt looked up, wondering what he’d said wrong. To his surprise, he was only met with sympathetic faces. Mercedes smiled at him. 

“Well, in that case, you can sit with us whenever you want, Kurt.”

Blaine gave Mercedes a thankful smile. He bumped his shoulders against Kurt’s and pulled a sandwich box out of his bag, opening it and offering Kurt half. 

Kurt sat there for the rest of lunch, nibbling on the half of Blaine’s sandwich he’d shared and listening in on the various conversations happening around the table. For the first time in a while, Kurt wondered if this was what it felt like to have  _ real  _ friends.

* * *

Kurt walked out of his last class of the day and reached into his pocket to send Blaine a text when he heard a voice calling for him. He turned and saw Quinn walking towards him. Kurt sighed. 

“What do you want, Quinn? Isn’t it risky for you to be seen talking to me?” Kurt asked sarcastically, already beginning to turn to walk towards the parking lot. 

Quinn huffed and ran to catch up with him, stepping in front of him so that he would stop. “Kurt, c’mon.” 

Kurt crossed his arms and stopped, looking at Quinn. “What do you want, Quinn?”

“I…” Quinn sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose briefly before looking at Kurt, “Kurt, I just wanted to talk to you. You’re still my best friend.”

Kurt rolled his eyes but stayed put, looking down at the ground. 

“Look, I just wanted to tell you how much I… admire your bravery.”

Well, that was certainly  _ not  _ what he’d been expecting. “Huh?”

“What you did yesterday was… I mean, I never could’ve done anything like that,” Quinn said, crossing her arms and looking up at Kurt in a rare display of vulnerability, “I was so scared… I mean, I still  _ am  _ scared of going back to freshman year.”

Kurt felt his resolve weakening. “It wasn’t actually that hard.” 

Quinn laughed humourlessly. “That’s what I mean. Everything you did yesterday, you did without a second thought. You’re braver than I think you know.”

Kurt gave Quinn a small smile. “Thanks, Quinn. That means a lot coming from you.” 

Quinn smiled back at Kurt before walking towards him and giving him a quick hug, wrapping her arms tight around him. “I know you’re probably gonna be preoccupied with Blaine but will you save me a dance at homecoming?”

Kurt pulled away, eyebrows raised. “How did you--”

“I’m not blind, Kurt,” Quinn said with a playful shove to Kurt’s shoulder. “You guys make a cute couple.” 

Kurt laughed quietly and nodded, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “I guess… yeah, we do.” 

The late bell rang and Quinn checked her watch. 

“I have to get to practice but thanks for talking to me, Kurt,” Quinn said, grabbing his hand and squeezing it gently. “I’ll text you.”

Kurt nodded and watched as Quinn left, running to the gym for practice. He reached into his pocket and smiled when he saw a few texts from Blaine. 

**_From Blaine <3 <3 <3, 3:15pm:  
_ ** _ I’m waiting by the car!! _

**_From Blaine <3 <3 <3, 3:20pm:   
_ ** _ Kurt? _

**_From Blaine <3 <3 <3, 3:25pm:  
_ ** _ Okay, I’m getting a little worried so… if you’re reading this just let me know that you’re okay  _

**_From Kurt Hummel <3 <3 <3, 3:26pm:  
_ ** _ Sorry, I got caught up _

**_From Kurt Hummel <3 <3 <3, 3:26pm:  
_ ** _ Quinn wanted to talk to me _

**_From Blaine <3 <3 <3, 3:26pm:  
_ ** _ Quinn??? :O _

**_From Kurt Hummel <3 <3 <3, 3:27pm:  
_ ** _ Yeah, I know. I’m coming out to meet you now. I’ll tell you how it went _

**_From Kurt Hummel <3 <3 <3, 3:27pm:  
_ ** _ <3 _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo next chapter is the Big One!! And then there's another epilogue!! I really hope you guys have been enjoying reading along as much as I enjoyed writing <3 
> 
> Thank you so much for all your support throughout this!!! 
> 
> \- Brit xx


	14. Voldemort by With Confidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here!! Last chapter before the epilogue! The song for today's chapter and the song that Blaine sings during Homecoming is Voldemort by With Confidence! 
> 
> Happy reading everyone and, in advance, I'm sorry fsjkf
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=retINhAO-3g

“Are you planning on going to homecoming?” Blaine asked, laying back on his bed with his head in Kurt’s lap as he read an old issue of Vogue. 

Kurt nonchalantly flipped his page and smiled at the weight of Blaine’s head in his lap. “Yeah, I was. Are you?”

“I wasn’t planning on it but Mr. Schue gave me a solo.” Blaine paused, blinking up at his ceiling lamp, “I might just leave after my song is over.” 

“What?” Kurt asked, putting his magazine down. Blaine sat up and faced Kurt, crossing his legs underneath him. “Why?” 

Blaine shrugged. “I’ve just never been a big fan of dances, that’s all. I don’t really feel like spending two hours in a room with people who barely tolerate my existence.”

“But how am I supposed to dance with my boyfriend under cheesy decorations and bad lighting if my boyfriend isn’t there?” Kurt asked with a pout. Blaine laughed and leaned over, pressing a light kiss to Kurt’s pursed lips. 

“You can still dance with me here, you know.”

Kurt hummed against Blaine’s lips and shook his head. “It won’t be the same.” He sighed dramatically, flopping back on the bed. “I just kind of wanna show you off, you know? Now that I finally  _ can _ .”

Blaine smiled. “That makes sense…”

Kurt looked at Blaine and sat back up. “But if you really don’t wanna go, I won’t force you. I’ll stay for your song and then we can go get breadstix or something.” 

Blaine pursed his lips as he thought about Kurt’s offer. He supposed the idea of going to a dance with Kurt on his arm was pretty appealing… and Kurt  _ really _ seemed to want to go. 

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Kurt asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I’ll stay for the whole thing with you,” Blaine said, grinning when Kurt squealed and practically tackled him in a hug. 

“Yes!” Kurt exclaimed, pulling away from the hug to quickly press a kiss to Blaine’s lips. “We are gonna have an  _ amazing _ time, just wait.” 

Blaine grinned and listened quietly as Kurt began talking about coordinating their outfits, excitement taking over where the anxiety had once sat. 

* * *

Kurt stood outside the dress store, awkwardly wiping his hands on his pants as he waited. 

Tina had texted him out of the blue that morning -- apparently she’d gotten his number from Blaine -- and asked if he would like to accompany her and the other girls in their quest to find dresses for the homecoming dance. He’d agreed reluctantly, still unsure of his place amongst Blaine’s friends. 

He started to wonder where they were and contemplated texting Tina when his thoughts were interrupted.

“Kurt, hey!” 

He looked up and saw Tina, Mercedes, and Rachel walking towards him, all holding cups of coffee in their hands. Tina, he noticed, was holding two. “Hey, girls,” he said, waving awkwardly. 

“I got you a coffee! Blaine told me you liked mochas,” Tina said, handing Kurt the smaller cup of the two and smiling kindly. Kurt took the cup slowly, eyebrows raised in shock.

“Oh… I-I do, thank you,” Kurt said, taking a sip and humming happily when the warm liquid flowed through him. “How much do I owe you?” 

Tina shrugged in response, giving him a wink. “What’s one cup of coffee between friends, right?” 

Kurt paused before a smile of disbelief began to grow on his face. He wordlessly followed the girls into the store, holding the cup under his nose and breathing in the warm scent of chocolate and coffee. 

“So, as excited as I am to be here, I’m a little confused as to  _ why _ I’m here,” Kurt said, taking a seat carefully on the couch in the middle of the room. Rachel, Mercedes, and Tina all dropped their bags on the cushions next to him before separating to browse. 

“Because you’re easily the most stylish person in our grade,” Mercedes remarked, holding up a short turquoise dress that was more tulle than anything else. 

“And because getting a look past you is like getting a thumbs up from Joan  _ and  _ Melissa Rivers,” Tina added, pulling a long black dress off the rack. “What do you think of this?”

Kurt wrinkled his nose. “Tina, you’re a junior in high school, not a 46-year-old murderer going to her husband’s funeral.” 

They all paused and for a moment, Kurt wondered if he’d messed up before their friendship had even begun. His thoughts were quelled when the three of them started laughing. 

“See? Mike would never give advice like that,” Tina said, putting the dress back on the rack, “he would just tell me to get whichever one makes my boobs look the best.”

Kurt chuckled, allowing himself to relax as the girls talked amongst themselves and to the sales associates. For the first time in a while, he felt like he could just loosen up and be  _ truly _ himself.

“So, Kurt, do you know what you’re wearing?” Rachel asked, observing herself in the mirror as she held up a baby pink monstrosity to her figure. Kurt shuddered and jumped up, gently taking the dress from her and putting it back on the rack, much to Rachel’s dismay. 

“I think I’m gonna go simple and classic. Maybe a pop of colour,” Kurt replied, pulling out a less garish option and handing it to Rachel, “Blaine and I have yet to pick a colour scheme.”

No one responded and Kurt turned around, only to be met by three surprised faces. “What?”

“Nothing, we’re just surprised you got Blaine to go with you,” Tina said, “he told me he was gonna arrive before his solo and leave right after.”

“He told me that too but I guess I managed to convince him,” Kurt said slowly. He was beginning to feel like he was being interrogated. “He said that he was excited to go with me.”

“He didn’t go to homecoming last year,” Mercedes said.

“ _ Or  _ Sadie Hawkins, even after I tried bribing him with free coffee for a year,” Tina said with raised eyebrows. “He gets really weird about school functions.”

“Oh…” Kurt mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Had Blaine only agreed to go for his sake? Had he felt pressured by Kurt? What if this was the beginning of communication problems that would only escalate the further their relationship progressed?

“Kurt!” 

Kurt looked up and saw that Tina had walked across the store and was standing right in front of him now, her hands holding his elbows. “Huh?”

“Don’t worry,” She said softly, rubbing his arms lightly. “Blaine wouldn’t have agreed if he didn’t  _ really  _ wanna go. I’m sure he really is excited about going to the dance with you.”

Kurt nodded, though the sickening feeling was still mildly stirring around in his stomach. “Right… you’re probably right.” 

Tina smiled at him reassuringly. “I am. Now, can you help me decide what colour I should wear?”

Kurt smiled at Tina thankfully and walked over to a rack of short dresses with her, his mind still racing.

* * *

Blaine felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and he pulled it out, smiling when he saw it was Kurt. He threw his game controller onto the beanbag he was sitting on and gestured for Sam to pause the game as he stepped out into the hall.

“Hey, how was dress shopping with--”

“Do you actually wanna go to the dance with me?”

Blaine stopped talking when Kurt interrupted him, furrowing his eyebrows. “What?”

“I… I was talking to Tina earlier and she said that you were weird about school dances and I thought about how I asked you to go to the dance with me and I just got this  _ horrible  _ feeling that I’d pressured you into doing something you didn’t wanna do and that if you went and had a bad time that this would be the start of many relationship and communication issues.”

Blaine paused for a second once Kurt finished rambling, attempting to process all the information he’d been given. 

“Um… what?”

“Blaine, if you  _ really  _ don’t wanna go to the dance, we don’t have to.” 

Blaine smiled. “Kurt, it’s really sweet of you to be concerned about me but… I wanna go to the dance with you.”

“You do?”

“Yes! I wouldn’t have said ‘yes’ if I didn’t want to,” Blaine continued, leaning against the wall as he cradled his phone close to his ear, “and besides, I’m excited to go with you.”

“You are?”

Blaine rolled his eyes amusedly. “Yes, of course. Sure, school dances make me kind of nervous, but…” he hesitated before he continued speaking, “...something about you makes me want to be brave.” 

Blaine held his breath as he waited for Kurt’s response. He heard Kurt sigh on the other line and he relaxed. 

“Okay, that’s a relief. I’m sorry for interrupting your… what were you doing?” 

“Sam and I were just playing video games,” Blaine said, peering into his room where Sam was fiddling with his phone. “Do you wanna say ‘hi’?” 

“Mm… hi, Sam.” 

Blaine laughed at Kurt’s apathetic greeting, poking his head into the room. “Kurt says ‘hi’.” 

Sam looked up from his phone and raised a hand. “Hi, Kurt.”

“Sam says hi back,” Blaine chuckled, leaning back against the wall as he heard Kurt hum. 

“Okay. I’m gonna go now, Tina, Mercedes, and Rachel are waiting for me.”

Blaine smiled at how casually Kurt referred to his friends, a warm feeling growing in his chest. “Okay, have fun. I lo-” he cut himself off before he finished his sentence, sucking his lips into his mouth quickly. “I’ll see you… later.” 

Thankfully, Kurt didn’t seem to catch the slip up. “I’ll call you tonight so we can watch America’s Next Top Model?”

Blaine hummed and waited for Kurt to hang up before he breathed out slowly, bracing his hands on his knees briefly as he thought about how easy and natural it had felt to end the phone call with an ‘I love you’. But it was way too early for that, right? 

Blaine ran his fingers through his hair as best he could before he dropped his phone into his pocket and walked back into his room, slumping back down onto the beanbag and wordlessly pressing ‘play’ on his and Sam’s video game. 

If Sam noticed how out of sorts Blaine was, he didn’t ask, and for that, Blaine was thankful.

* * *

Blaine nervously adjusted his tie as he walked down the stairs, the sound of a ringing doorbell echoing through his empty house. He nervously felt his pockets, making sure he had everything before opening the door. 

Standing on the other side was Kurt, wearing a vest the same colour as his tie and a boutonniere pinned to his lapel. The bright grin on Kurt’s face was enough to ease some of the tension in Blaine’s body. 

“Hey,” Blaine breathed, grabbing his keys and shoving them into his pockets. “Ready to go?”

“Yes, but before we do, I have one last thing,” Kurt said, revealing a box from behind his back. “This is for you.” 

Blaine furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Kurt before hesitantly taking the box from him. “What is it?”

“Open the box and find out, Silly.”

Blaine nodded and opened the box, smiling when he saw a boutonniere matching Kurt’s inside the box. He took it out gently and huffed out a quiet laugh. 

“Do you like it?” Kurt asked. 

“I love…”  _ you _ . “...it.” He pinned it onto his lapel and stood back, allowing Kurt to monitor his handiwork. “How does it look?”

Kurt smiled at him softly. “Perfect.” He wasn’t looking at the boutonniere at all. “Let’s go!” 

Blaine followed Kurt out to his car and sighed. 

He was going to have a good night, no matter what.

* * *

“When are you performing?” Kurt asked as he held out his hand for the student chaperones to stamp. 

Blaine looked around the gym, taking in the dim fairy lights and crepe paper streamers littered around. 

“Um… Mr. Schuester said I’m first up after they crown homecoming king and queen,” Blaine said, smiling politely at the sophomore girl who stamped his hand before walking into the gym alongside Kurt. “It’s actually really pretty in here… who would’ve guessed it?”

“I know, right?” Kurt breathed. The decorations were poorly hung and tacky at best but under the fairy lights and gentle twinkle reflecting off of the disco ball, everything looked… beautiful. “How are you feeling?”

Blaine smiled at Kurt and bumped their shoulders together. “I’m actually feeling pretty good.” 

Kurt grinned back at him, his eyes moving to just behind Blaine to where a photo booth was set up. “Oh! Let’s go take some pictures!” 

Blaine laughed and let himself be whisked away by Kurt, the sound of some tinny pop song playing in the background.

* * *

Santana stepped into the hallway, discreetly looking through the windows into the various empty, darkened classrooms until she found the one she was looking for.

The classroom was the only one lit up in the hallway. She peered inside and saw Karofsky standing by a desk with a large box and two sealed envelopes sitting on top. Santana knocked on the door and rolled her eyes when she saw Karofsky jump and turn around. She gestured for him to open the door and barrelled past him when he did. 

“Did you do it?” 

Karofsky wiped his sweaty palms on his thighs and nodded. “Yeah, I did everything like you told me to.” 

“Where’s the original envelope?” Santana asked, grimacing when Karofsky pulled the original envelope from his back pocket. She tore it in half and pulled out the piece of paper inside. “Ohh, Quinn Fabray for homecoming queen. What a surprise.” 

She crumpled up the sheet of paper and threw it into the bin, using her foot to crush the trash to the bottom of the bin so that no one would be able to find it. 

Once they were done, Santana locked eyes with Karofsky who was shuffling nervously from foot to foot. “Why are you still here?”

Karofsky hesitated before turning and leaving the classroom without another word. Santana watched him go and leaned against the desk, looking down at the trash can. She couldn’t allow herself to have second thoughts about this. That wasn’t how Lopez’s worked. They were all action, no remorse. 

So instead of reaching into the bin and retrieving the paper like one side of her desperately wanted to, she stood up, brushed her hands together, and walked out of the classroom, her heels clicking loudly against the linoleum tiles as she walked to the gym.

* * *

Blaine wiped the sweat from his brow and laughed joyfully, grabbing Tina’s hand and spinning her around as they listened to Sam and Mercedes sing together. He didn’t know why he’d been so reluctant to come, especially when he was having such an amazing time. 

He looked over towards his table where him and the other glee kids were keeping their stuff and smiled when he saw Kurt and Rachel immersed in an intense conversation. He pulled Tina close and winked at Mike before twirling her into his arms, grinning when they collided and began dancing together. 

Blaine walked towards the table and felt his heart lift when he saw Kurt and Rachel laughing. It hadn’t been long since Kurt had joined their friend group but he’d managed to immerse himself into their little family right away.

“Hey, guys,” He said, sitting on the chair next to Kurt’s and draping his arm around the back rest. “Having fun?”

“Rachel and I were just talking about how Columbus State Community College is planning on putting on Chicago during the summer,” Kurt said, smiling brightly at Blaine, “we were making plans to go see it.”

“Blaine, you never told me that Kurt and I had such similar taste in musicals!” Rachel exclaimed, “I would’ve warmed up to you much sooner had I known.”

Blaine shrugged, a quiet laugh escaping him. “Sorry?”

“I think I can find it in me to forgive you,” Rachel said as she stood up, “now if you boys will excuse me, I must find my boyfriend.”

As she left, Kurt turned to Blaine and took his hand, squeezing it gently. “Are you having a good time?”

Blaine looked around before lifting Kurt’s hand and pressing a quick kiss to his knuckles. “I’m having the  _ most _ fun,” he said softly, “although… I haven’t danced with you yet.”

Kurt smiled. “That can be remedied, Mr. Anderson.”

“Yes, please, Mr. Hummel.”

They stood up just as Sam and Mercedes got off the stage, clapping as they did. Principal Figgins walked onstage after them, holding two envelopes in his hands.

“Oh, it’s coronation time, already,” Kurt whispered as a hush fell over the students, “you’re performing after this, right?”

Blaine nodded and walked with Kurt to the dance floor where the other students were patiently waiting for Principal Figgins to announce the homecoming king and queen.

“Thank you to Samuel Evans and Mercedes Jones for that performance,” Principal Figgins said, his voice devoid of emotion, “now, the moment you all have been waiting for… it is time to crown McKinley High’s homecoming King and Queen. Will the nominees please come onstage?” 

Kurt clapped politely as he watched the nominees walk onstage, giving Quinn a small wave when their eyes locked. She looked like an angel standing underneath the spotlight in her white midi dress, her hands clasped delicately in front of her. 

“First, you all voted… this year’s homecoming King is…” Principal Figgins slowly teared into the envelope, definitely taking more time than was necessary as he pulled out the slip of paper. “...Finn Hudson.”

Kurt and Blaine clapped politely as Finn walked to the front of the stage and bent down awkwardly, allowing Principal Figgins to place the gaudy plastic crown on his head.

“That’s rough,” Kurt whispered, “Quinn’s gonna have to share homecoming royalty with her ex-boyfriend.” Blaine looked at Kurt.

“How do you know Quinn’s gonna win?” He asked, looking onstage as Principal Figgins began announcing homecoming queen.

“It’s obvious, Blaine, who else could it be?” Kurt whispered back. Blaine shrugged and watched the stage. He supposed Kurt was right. 

“And this year’s homecoming Queen…” Principal Figgins opened the envelope, pulling out a sheet of paper and reading from it. He paused and for the first time, Blaine wondered if he saw a flicker of emotion cross his features. 

“This year’s homecoming queen is… Blaine Anderson.”

Silence. 

Blaine felt like a 100 pound weight was hanging from the ceiling and had just been dropped on top of him, crushing him like a bug. He felt his hands begin to shake as hundreds of eyes turned to stare at him. He thought he might’ve felt Kurt’s hands on his arms but he wasn’t sure. 

Principal Figgins cleared his throat, the sound causing feedback to shoot through the microphone and out the speakers. He looked around the room, before speaking again. “Blaine Anderson?”

“Blaine, you don’t have to go up there.” 

Blaine knew Kurt was speaking to him but his voice felt like it was a thousand miles away. He looked at Kurt and then at Principal Figgins before straightening out his suit jacket. He took Kurt’s hand and squeezed it briefly, just once, before letting go and walking towards the stage on shaky legs. 

He stood there, stiff as a board as Principal Figgins awkwardly placed the crown on his head and turned to face the rest of the students, a hand coming up to grip the microphone as he saw his friends in the audience, all displaying different states of shock and distress.

“Um…” He whispered, the sound getting picked up by the microphone and echoing throughout the quiet hall. Blaine took a step back, startled by the sound, until he locked eyes with Kurt. He took a deep breath before stepping towards the microphone again, “this one’s for you.”

* * *

Kurt heard the backing track to Blaine’s song begin playing over the speakers and he felt a rush of emotions leaving and entering his body all at once. Anger, pride, concern, and distress were all ebbing and flowing through his mind in ways he couldn’t control. 

Blaine started to sing and Kurt paused, letting himself be soothed briefly by the smooth, dulcet tones of Blaine’s voice. 

He let himself get distracted but turned when he heard the door opening. He saw Santana slipping out of the gym and felt all of his rage returning. 

Kurt turned back to the stage and looked at Blaine who had also seen Santana leaving the gym. Blaine nodded and shot him a wink before unhooking the microphone from its stand and walking to the other side of the stage where Sam and Mercedes were watching him. 

Kurt managed a smile before turning sharply and storming out the door, following after Santana. 

He entered the empty hallway and spotted Santana immediately, leaning against a row of lockers with one arm crossed over her chest, the other holding up her forehead. 

“Hey!” he exclaimed, storming towards her, letting his anger take over his every move. “Are you happy? You just humiliated Blaine in front of the entire school. Is that what you wanted?” 

Santana’s eyes flickered up to Kurt’s before she averted her gaze again, turning her back to him. “Sure, it was. Will you leave me alone now?”

“No. I want an explanation,” Kurt demanded, taking another step towards her. “I want to know exactly why it’s okay for you to repeatedly harass people just for being different from you. I want to know why you thought that embarrassing someone in front of the entire student body was in any way, shape, or form  _ okay. _ ” 

He cut himself off when he heard a quiet sniff. Santana’s back was to him but he could see her hand coming up to wipe her face quickly. “You’re… you’re crying? Why are you crying?” 

“God, Kurt, just leave me the  _ fuck _ alone, okay?!” Santana cried, wiping her tears away furiously. 

“No,” Kurt said, crossing his arms, “I came here for an explanation and I’m going to stand here until I get one. Blaine’s the one who should be crying right now, but he isn’t. He’s in there performing in front of a mob of teenagers who just watched him get crowned  _ queen _ .” 

Santana didn’t reply but she turned so that she was leaning back against the wall, her arms crossed tightly over her chest and her eyes shut. Kurt could see tears slowly streaming down her face, ruining her make-up. 

It was the first time he’d ever seen her so vulnerable. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, swallowing thickly as soon as the words left her mouth - as if it physically pained her to say them.

“You’re…” 

“I’m  _ sorry _ , Kurt,” Santana repeated, opening her eyes and looking at him finally. 

“What for?”

Even through her tears, Santana managed to throw Kurt a bitch glare that could scare away a pride of lions. “For… for embarrassing your boyfriend… and for practically forcing you off the team.”

Kurt huffed and leaned against the wall beside her, whilst still keeping his distance. “You didn’t force me off. I quit.”

“Mm… well, Coach Sue has been making my life a living hell ever since,” she mumbled, sniffling rather disgustingly and wiping her nose with the back of her hand. 

Kurt sighed. “What’s going on, Tana?” He asked quietly. 

Santana scoffed. “You don’t have to comfort me, Kurt. I don’t need your sympathy.”

“Okay… maybe you don’t,” Kurt said slowly, “but I would like to know what happened to my  _ friend _ . I don’t believe that the Santana Lopez I’m standing next to tonight is the same one who cleaned rotten banana peel out of my hair in freshman year when she found me in the dumpster.”

Santana hesitated, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the ceiling. “I came out to my abuela this summer.”

That definitely wasn’t what Kurt had been expecting. “Oh… I didn’t know you were--”

“Yeah, no one does,” she replied sharply, her eyes slipping shut briefly. 

A tense, uncomfortable silence hung between the two of them, neither one knowing what to say to each other. Ultimately it was Santana who spoke first.

“It didn’t go well,” She said, toeing her heels off and sitting on the floor. Kurt joined her. “She basically said she never wanted to see me again. Said I was going against  _ God _ or some stupid shit like that.” 

“Santana… I’m sorry,” Kurt said quietly, “I had no idea.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I didn’t tell anyone. Not even Britt knows.” Santana wiped her eyes once more and let out a breath. “It’s probably what I get for being a bitch all the time. God probably  _ is  _ cursing me for being such a bad person.”

Kurt huffed out a humourless laugh. “I don’t think  _ that’s  _ true. And besides, you’re not a bitch all the time.”

Santana stared at him incredulously. 

“Okay, so you’re a bitch most of the time,” Kurt corrected, “but that doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. Good people can do bad things.” 

Santana didn’t respond for a moment. Kurt could hear the muted music from the gym reverberating through the empty hallway. 

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, “I just did the most awful thing to your boyfriend. I wouldn’t have been surprised if you’d tackled me and strapped me to a chair and forced me to watch all of Berry’s Myspace videos.” 

Kurt shrugged. “That’s not who I’m trying to be. And I  _ know  _ there’s a good person inside you, Santana. You just have to prove it to yourself.”

Kurt stood up and wiped his hands on his thighs before holding a hand out to help Santana up. She stared at the hand for a moment before taking it and slipping her shoes back on. Kurt took the opportunity to pull Santana into a brief hug, his eyebrows lifting in surprise when she actually reciprocated.

“Make no mistake, though, I am expecting you to apologise to my boyfriend  _ profusely  _ once we get back in there,” Kurt said, rubbing Santana’s back before pulling away. He saw her roll her eyes but a small smile had crept it’s way onto her lips. 

“Fine,” Santana replied, linking hers and Kurt’s arms together, “lead the way, Lady.”

Kurt rolled his eyes at the nickname. It was progress… but Santana was still Santana, after all.

* * *

In the weeks running up to homecoming, Blaine had thought of hundreds of different scenarios as to how the dance would go. However, none of his scenarios had ever ended with him getting crowned homecoming queen and then performing for the entire student body. 

He let the music wash over him as he sang, his eyes flickering between his friend’s faces, in an attempt to avoid looking at the rest of the student body. Blaine thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest with how nervous he was. 

Once Kurt left the gym, Blaine tried to focus solely on his song and the lyrics he was singing, locking eyes with Sam and Tina. He felt a small grin take over his face when he saw them and he slowly started to let go, letting himself get lost in the music.

He felt oddly comfortable, singing and dancing on stage as he watched his classmates slowly getting more and more into his performance as time went on. Of course, there was still that voice in the back of Blaine’s head that reminded him of what had just happened. That made Blaine think that everyone was laughing behind his back. 

But while he sang, he refused to think about it, focusing on putting on a show for an audience. 

At the end of his song, Blaine saw Kurt and Santana re-enter the gym together. He tensed momentarily until he saw Kurt shoot him a small, reassuring smile. 

Blaine’s song came to an end and he found himself genuinely smiling, holding onto his crown as he bowed, listening to the applause - the loudest applause coming from some very distinct and familiar voices.

He walked off the stage and walked towards where Kurt and Santana were standing. Kurt bounced forward and wrapped his arms around Blaine tightly in a crushing hug. He felt his heart soar as he returned the hug with a vice-like grip, the pressure of Kurt’s touch grounding him wholly and completely. He felt all the energy drain from his body and he buried his face in Kurt’s shoulder. 

“I’m so proud of you,” he heard Kurt whisper into his neck. Blaine closed his eyes and held him even closer, savouring the feeling before pulling away, keeping Kurt close. His eyes flickered over to where Santana was watching them awkwardly, holding onto her forearms protectively. 

“Santana,” Blaine said, hoping that she couldn’t hear how his voice was shaking. 

Santana looked between Kurt and Blaine and stepped forward. 

“I’m sorry, Blaine,” she said, “what I did to you was horrible and… no one deserves to go through what I put you through.” 

Blaine raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at Kurt. An automatic forgiving reply nearly flew out of his mouth until he stopped himself, instead turning to look at Santana, one shaking hand clenched into a fist. “Why did you do it?”

Santana looked taken aback for a moment, as if she hadn’t expected him to counter her. “I… I’m going through something really… personal, right now. I took that out on you in an awful way.” she looked away for a moment, as if holding Blaine’s gaze was too much to take. “I can be a real bitch sometimes, not just to you. But that’s no excuse. I’m… I’m truly sorry.”

The three of them stood there awkwardly, none of them knowing quite what to say until  _ Dancing Queen _ started to play over the speakers. The absurdity of the situation made them all burst into a fit of giggles. 

“Santana, would you like to dance with us?” Blaine asked, extending an arm towards her and smiling hopefully. Santana looked at Blaine, then at his arm, and sighed, shrugging and looping her arm through his.

“Why the hell not? I’ve already done one thing I thought I’d never do today.” Santana laughed as Kurt and Blaine pulled her to the dance floor.

There were many ways Blaine thought homecoming was going to end, but somehow, him dancing in a strange triangle-group formation with Santana Lopez, was not one of them.

He was glad that that was the ending he got.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH!!!! We've reached the end of the real meat and potatoes of this story!! I hope you guys have enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing <3 I'll do a full, sappier end note when I upload the epilogue in a few days but otherwise I hope you guys are well!
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting and leaving kudos!
> 
> \- Brit xx


	15. Spin Me Around by Patent Pending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Epilogue!!! The song for this wonderfully fluffy final chapter is Spin Me Around by Patent Pending! If there was any song that I kindly request you listen to it would be this one just 'cause it's so cute and I think it fits the vibe perfectly <3
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aut-uyWwkZk

“Do you think we brought enough fruit?” Kurt asked, peering into their picnic basket nervously. 

“Babe, we cut enough watermelon to feed all of central Ohio,” Blaine said, bumping their shoulders together. 

Kurt hummed, staring at the large tupperware container full of fruit they’d packed. Summer had just begun and they’d planned a group picnic for them and all of their friends to celebrate. “If you’re sure… Finn is like a human vacuum cleaner, you haven’t seen that boy eat.”

Blaine laughed. “I’m sure we have enough fruit.”

“Hey, guys!” 

Blaine and Kurt both looked up when they heard a voice calling for them. Blaine smiled when he saw Tina, Mike, and Sam sitting at a picnic table underneath a large tree, lifting his arm to wave at them happily. 

“Tina!” Kurt exclaimed, placing the large picnic basket on the table and sliding in next to her. “Did you catch the new episode of project runway?” 

Blaine grinned as he heard Kurt and Tina begin to talk excitedly to one another about reality TV. “How’s it going, guys?” 

“Tina made me watch like 4 episodes of that sewing show with her last night,” Mike droned, leaning his cheek against his hand and rolling his eyes - though the smile on his face showed that he really hadn’t minded all that much. “I didn’t get home until after 3. I had to sneak in through the laundry room window so I wouldn’t wake my dad.” 

“I get that. Kurt makes me watch it with him every week as it comes out,” Blaine replied, looking over at Kurt with a fond smile. “I don’t mind, though.” 

Kurt, sensing he was being talked about, paused his conversation with Tina and looked over at Blaine, returning his smile. 

* * *

Blaine took a step back and wiped a drop of sweat gently rolling down his brow, grinning as he watched Sam, Mike, Finn, and Puck throwing a frisbee around. He turned to walk towards the picnic table but stopped when he heard his name being called.

“Bee, where are you going?” Sam called, catching the frisbee easily in his hand and shaking out his sweaty hair like a golden retriever. 

“I’m gonna take 5,” He yelled back, “you guys keep playing without me!” 

Sam shrugged and threw the frisbee at Finn before turning to where Kurt was lounging on the grass with the girls. “Kurt, you wanna join for a couple rounds?”

Kurt pushed his sunglasses up his nose and raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for the offer, Sam, but I’m happy just watching.” 

Blaine huffed out a quiet laugh and ran over to his boyfriend, ducking down and placing a casual kiss on the top of his head before walking towards the picnic table to get a bottle of water out of Sam’s cooler. He paused when he saw Quinn who’d obviously had the same idea as him.

“Hey, Quinn,” Blaine said, smiling at her when she looked up at him. “Thirsty?”

Quinn chuckled and nodded, reaching into the cooler and handing Blaine a water, twisting the cap off of her own. “Yeah. Lying on the grass and trying to get tan is a lot of work.”

Blaine laughed and leaned against the picnic table, reaching in Kurt’s tupperware for a cube of watermelon and popping it into his mouth. The two of them were quiet for a moment before Quinn turned to Blaine. 

“You and Kurt are really good together,” she said, “you make him really happy.”

Blaine raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Oh! That’s sweet of you to say, Quinn… thanks.” Blaine looked over at Kurt and sent him a wave, grinning when Kurt blew him a kiss in response.

Quinn smiled at him and took a cube of watermelon, chewing on it thoughtfully before she spoke again. “You really love him, don’t you?”

Blaine whipped around to face Quinn, eyes wide. “Oh. I mean… I-I haven’t… we haven’t really said that yet.”

“But you feel it.” The smile Quinn gave him made Blaine feel like they were sharing a secret. “I can see it. He loves you too.” 

Blaine blushed and looked down at the grass, biting on his bottom lip. “I’ve been… I’ve been thinking about telling him, actually, for a little while.”

“You should,” Quinn replied, pushing herself off of the table and lowering her sunglasses once more, giving Blaine a final look. “I think you and I could be really good friends, Blaine.”

Before Blaine could respond, Quinn walked away from him, taking her rightful seat next to Kurt. Blaine couldn’t help but watch them for a second longer before he put his water down and ran back to join the guys.

* * *

Blaine smiled contentedly as he and Kurt walked down the sidewalk, their knuckles brushing against one anothers as they walked in perfect step. The summer sun was setting, casting a warm glow on the street. The air was uncomfortably warm and thick with humidity but Blaine found that he didn’t mind that much, not when he’d had such a perfect start to his summer vacation.

He hadn’t said anything when he saw Brittany and Santana sitting close underneath a tree, talking quietly with their hands interlocked between them, but he made a note at the back of his mind to give Kurt the $20 he owed him. 

He thought of where he’d been exactly a year from now, pining pathetically after a boy who seemed so astronomically out of reach, afraid to turn corners at school for fear of being harassed. 

Blaine smiled to himself when he thought of how much things had changed. 

“What are you so happy about, mister?”

Blaine turned to look at Kurt who was pushing his sunglasses up his head so that they were perched perfectly on top of his hair. He couldn’t help but smile wider when he saw just how beautiful Kurt looked in the late afternoon sun.

“Nothing,” Blaine said with a shrug, “just thinking about how lucky I am.”

Kurt hummed suspiciously but smiled nonetheless. “Not  _ that _ lucky. Remember you still owe me $20.” 

Blaine groaned. “I never should’ve guessed that they’d wait until senior year started to start dating.” 

Kurt giggled despite Blaine’s dramatic sounds of protest. “You were very wrong, but I love you anyway.”

Blaine paused, looking at Kurt with a soft, strange grin on his face. “What did you say?” 

Kurt turned when he noticed that Blaine had stopped walking, grinning teasingly. “I said you were wrong...”

Blaine raised his eyebrows. 

“...and that I love you.” Kurt bit his lip as he waited nervously for Blaine’s response. 

Blaine looked around the empty sidewalk before taking Kurt’s hand and pulling him close, pressing a slow, gentle kiss to his lips. “I love you too, Kurt.”

Kurt grinned against Blaine’s lips and wrapped his arms around Blaine’s shoulders, breathing in sharply as they kissed. He pulled away but kept their foreheads pressed together, nuzzling the tip of his nose against Blaine’s. 

When Kurt took a small step back he looked behind Blaine and smiled, staring up at the store sign in front of them. “I know how you can repay me.”

Blaine, still slightly dazed from the kiss, hummed distractedly. “How?” 

Kurt turned and pulled Blaine towards the entrance of the ice cream store. “Buy me ice cream.”

Blaine looked at the sign and almost started laughing hysterically, because sitting there right in front of him was  _ Angus’ Ice Cream.  _ The place that, in Blaine’s mind, had started it all. He shook his head and chuckled down at his shoes before looking up at Kurt and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. 

“Gladly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END!
> 
> Thank you guys so much for joining me on this journey!!! I started writing this in September of 2019 and it has been a crazy fun ride! 
> 
> An extra super big thank you to Nery, Maya, Ela, and Aly for being so so SO amazing and wonderful and kind throughout this process and for giving me the motivation and encouragement I needed to finish this. If you guys haven't yet, please check out Ela's art on her blog (@datshitrandom)! <3 
> 
> Aly the Quaine scene was Just for you boo
> 
> Happy trails everyone <3 I'll see you guys around for a future fic, maybe!
> 
> \- Brit xx

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "Wish You Were Gay" by Billie Eilish
> 
> Please check out the accompanying cover art for this fic made by Ela (datshitrandom on Tumblr)!! It is so amazing and Ela is so awesome!! 
> 
> Shout out to my beta Nery (Little-Escapist on Tumblr) for sticking with me despite me taking ages and ages to finish this, I never could've done it without you!!! Also to my wonderful friend Maya (alligatestheclotpole on Tumblr) for reading my work and letting me force u to read my garbage i lub u very much my bb <3
> 
> Please go check out the accompanying artwork
> 
> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated! 
> 
> \- Brit xx


End file.
